The Fullmoon Meeting
by DarkAgea
Summary: Edward runs away from home, blood staining his hands, alone in the world with his family's death. Roy is a vampire out hunting, one who doesn't care about the intense enemity between the supernatural species. A meeting on one cold, full moon night brings two completely different worlds together... and a whole lot of consequences. (Werewolf/Vampire AU) (Parental!RoyEd)
1. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: As I was not born at the time of FMA, it's a safe bet to say I don't own it.**

 **A/N: So happy FMA day! I would have posted this sooner, but I have school and it took me some time to finish and polish this. Werewolf and Vampire AU. Rated T for blood and character death.**

* * *

 **The Fullmoon Meeting**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Meeting**

 _xXx_

 _"Don't forget_

 _Oct. 3. 10"_

 _The night of the Hunter's Moon,_

 _A fateful meeting of near-heavenly coincidence_

 _xXx_

Edward didn't know how all of this happened so fast. Al and he had been here for at least half an hour, in this hidden hole of their home. Wood covered them from all sides, and there was barely enough space to sit properly.

He could still remember his mother's wide eyes, how she pushed both of them here and told them not to come out. That was at about nine o'clock. From then, the two brothers had sat there silently, cringing as they heard sounds of fighting. Screams and yells and undecipherable words.

Now it was completely silent, and it was scaring Edward.

"Brother," Alphonse started in a low voice. "Can we go out and see? I feel scared." Alphonse voiced Ed's thoughts, but Ed knew he couldn't let his little brother go.

Edward brought his brother closer to him. "You heard what Mom said, Al."

"Brother, please." Al's eyes were pleading and desperate. "Mom could be hurt." Edward clearly heard the fear and worry in his younger brother's lowered voice.

"Mom told me to take care of you. She said she'll come when it's over."

Al paused, looking conflicted. He shook his head, biting his lower lip. "I can't stay here any longer, Ed." He pushed the trapdoor above them, standing up and climbing out.

"Al!" Edward tried to pull his brother down, but Al was far too fast for him.

He couldn't let his brother go alone. The golden-haired boy stood up, but his brother was nowhere to be seen.

His blood chilled as he heard a male voice.

"So you were out here alive. Half-werewolf scum."

"What did you do to Mom?"

"She married a human who betrayed her. That foolish lady told our secrets out to him. God knows where he is now, with the knowledge he isn't supposed to have. She deserved to die, the traitor." He heard that disgust in the voice at the word ' _human_ '.

Edward ran to the dining room, his mind going through so many possibilities. If his brother was hurt... Ed didn't want to think about it.

"Mom!" The horror in his brother's voice fueled Edward.

And as he ran into the room from where he heard the voices, he barely stopped himself from gasping.

His mom was on the ground, blood around her and eyes glassy.

And a man was holding his brother up.

"Al," he mouthed to his brother. But he was too late. Alphonse was thrown to the other side of the room, hitting the wall and slumping down.

The man turned into a brown wolf and leaped, cutting Al's throat with his claws when he reached him.

Ed's world stopped. He could only feel the fury inside him spill, and he felt a change occur through his body. He growled, rushing at the man and pushing him, right opposite to Al.

The wolf's head hit the wall, and he fell to the ground.

In any other case, Edward wouldn't have won. But his anger and the fact that the man hadn't noticed him – both had worked in his favor.

This was the first time he had become a wolf, and he couldn't control himself as he slashed at the unconscious wolf with his claws over and over. He only stopped when he registered the amount of blood on his claws, and the fact that he was basically mutilating a person.

This wasn't justice or revenge; he was committing plain murder.

He slowly moved backwards, staring at the scene and trying to stop himself from heaving. So much blood was spilt, and Edward suddenly felt claustrophobic.

The door was slightly open, enough for him to escape, and he did just that. He didn't stop or look back; he simply ran, away from his home, away from Resembool.

He kept running, only stopping when he was exhausted. He felt as if he had been running for hours.

He collapsed near a big tree, turning back into a human. The full moon shone bright.

Being a werewolf by birth, Edward had the power to transform whenever he wanted. His mother had told him all about werewolves (well, they _had_ lived in a village of werewolves), but she had never let him go for hunting or transforming. She had told him she would let Al and him accompany the others once they became eighteen.

Now that would never happen.

* * *

Roy Mustang had noticed the blond wolf as he hunted around Central. It was the Hunter's Moon that day, the full moon that came after the Harvest Moon. It was a special event for all the supernatural species.

He had moved into the shadow of a group of trees. All his senses told him it was a werewolf, though far too young to be straying from his pack. If one was there however, the others would follow, and Roy had no wish to encounter werewolves when he was trying to hunt peacefully.

He felt a stab of pity as he saw the wolf turn into a young, golden-haired boy. Roy could smell the blood in the gentle breeze. Nobody should have to kill at such a young age.

When no other werewolf came after at least twenty minutes, he cautiously approached the boy, reining in his vampire bloodlust with an iron control that came from having gone through a war.

* * *

Edward lifted his head when he heard the sound of soft footsteps. As soon as he saw the shadowy figure, he felt apprehension. His werewolf senses gave him a clear warning.

A vampire.

"What are you doing here so late at night without your pack?" The man asked, his voice smooth and mellifluous.

As the vampire came closer, Edward managed to make out his appearance in the moonlight.

Neatly-combed black hair framed a pale face. The vampire's onyx-black eyes stared directly into Edward's gold, and the boy tried not to gasp at the piercing look. The two remained like that for a few moments.

"Why aren't you attacking me?" Ed murmured. "We're natural enemies."

The man looked like he was barely stopping himself from flinching. He spoke in a commanding tone, "You look barely nine years old. I do not harm children, regardless of whether they are enemies or not."

Ed bristled. "I'm eleven years old and not a child! And who're you calling so short that it would take 'em a hundred years to drink a water droplet?!"

The man smirked. "Anybody below thirteen years of age is a child, kiddo." His voice softened as he asked, "Where is your pack?"

Edward opened his mouth to answer, before everything that had happened in the last few hours hit him. He had known of course, but it wasn't this all-consuming thought it was now. That question had made it real. He tried to stop the tears in his eyes from falling.

Mom and Al were dead. His family was dead. And if his father hadn't left, none of this would have occurred. He suppressed a growl, burying his face in his arms and drawing his knees to his chest. He tried to muffle his sobs as he cried. There was nothing he could do now. He couldn't return to Resembool and didn't have any other place to go to.

Edward heard footsteps grow closer. _'Offing me when I'm weak,'_ he thought distantly. His death didn't matter. They had died and now nothing was left for him.

He knew Granny and Winry would help him if he went back but he was afraid. There could have been other people who thought the same way the man had. And if the Rockbells got attacked because of him, he would never forgive himself.

The footsteps stopped, and he felt a tap on his arm. He looked up, face-to-face with the vampire, who stared at him intently for some time.

"Did you run away?"

Edward didn't know how to answer. _'I... Al and Mom are dead, and I killed their murderer, what's there to run away from? But then I ran away from Resembool and Winry and Granny... They aren't my pack... But that doesn't matter...'_

"Kind of..." He answered instead, looking down, unable to meet the man's eyes.

"Kind of?"

"It's tough to explain..." Edward couldn't fathom why he was even considering telling it to the vampire; he barely knew anything about him.

"Start from the beginning." There was a subtle order in those words. The man crouched down, and Ed could almost sense his curiosity.

And although Edward still didn't know why, the words spilled from his lips as he narrated the events that had occurred.

* * *

Roy listened attentively as the boy talked. He started with an incident that happened six years ago - his father's departure. Roy narrowed his eyes when the boy spoke of the attack on his family; werewolves were characterized by their loyalty, but not always was it good. To attack a whole family for what a single man did was reprehensible.

There were pauses, moments where the boy's breathe would hitch and he would grit his teeth, but he continued on relentless. Roy admired that determination.

By the time the boy finished, his voice was hoarse, but he looked better. The haunted look in his eyes had slightly vanished, and the tears had long since stopped.

"Remember it is not your fault" was the only thing Roy could say, seeing the look of guilt in those golden eyes. He couldn't claim to understand what the boy was going through. But it seemed that speaking aloud had helped him.

Roy mused on what to do. There was no way he could simply leave the child alone.

"You don't have anywhere to go, yes?" The boy nodded after a second.

"What would you think of coming to Central?"

"I don't think I've got your name yet."

Roy realized that he didn't know the name of the boy as well. "I, as well. Roy Mustang." He decided not to mention the fact he worked for the Supernatural section of the Amestrian Military. He knew not many people trusted those from the military, especially those with special powers, like his own pyrokinesis.

"Edward Elric. Why are you helping me?"

"You would die out here. Werewolves and vampires hunt far more at this time, and if one chances upon you, it will not be pretty. I cannot, in good conscience, have a death on my hands."

"You're keeping something back."

"Is it so hard to believe I wish to help a child out?"

"I told you not to call me 'child'. And yes."

Roy smiled. "Trust me. I am not in the habit of going around and killing children. Even if they are werewolves."

"Don't call me a child!"

"When you become an adult, I will stop calling you a child. Till then, you are one." Roy's smile widened at the pout on Edward's face. "We don't have time to waste, Edward. Central is close by. It seems you ran quite far away from your village."

Roy stood up, lending his gloved hand to the boy. Edward looked at it critically for a moment, before accepting it and standing up. Edward followed close behind him as he walked, shortening his strides so that the boy would not be left behind.

Roy never knew how much Edward was going to change his life.

 _xXx_

 _The day a boy's world came crashing down,_

 _And another helped him put the pieces back together_

* * *

 **A/N: About the Hunter's Moon I keep mentioning - Harvest Moon is the full moon** _ **closest**_ **to the autumnal equinox (Sept 22/23). The Hunter's Moon is the full moon that comes after the Harvest Moon, in the month of October. It is named so because hunters tracked and killed animals by the autumn moonlight.**

 **Also, werewolves transforming whenever they want is apparently possible (I tweaked the details a bit). And state alchemist titles are replaced by the abilities of both vampires and werewolves - Roy is one of the rare vampires with an ability, and called Flame for his pyrokinesis. Werewolf abilities** _ **mainly**_ **focus on speed, appearance, claws and so on, rather than mental powers.**

 **This has been in my mind for a long time. If I get the inspiration and time, I may write more. I have lots of ideas, but I'm lazy to sit down and actually write them. So, complete for now. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. The Start of Coexistence

**A/N: Okay, so I decided to write more. Nothing of great importance happens in this chapter (It's just slight Parental!RoyEd filler, except the ending). I have an outline of a plot, though I'm seriously worried I won't be able to complete it (I have this fear of abandoning stories, for some reason). A huge thank you to everybody who read, faved and followed! I won't put any promises on updating, though I'll try to do it weekly.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Start of Coexistence**

* * *

Edward knew he was going to fall asleep soon. The only reason he was even standing straight was because after the last time he slipped and fell to the ground, the vampire – Roy, he told himself – had slung an arm around his shoulders and held him up. If it was in any other situation, he would have pushed the vampire away.

He was grateful, really, but he wished he could just punch that amused smile from Roy's face.

"It should be around one o'clock, I suppose," Roy broke the silence. "Well past the time you normally sleep."

"You don't know when I go to sleep."

"The fact you are ready to rest on the ground tells me what I need to know."

"Bastard." He mumbled under his breath, but Roy heard him ( _'damn his vampire hearing'_ ) and chuckled.

Edward bit his lip to stop himself from shouting.

"Edward. It's a pleasure to converse with you."

"You wish." Another chuckle was the response he got.

"Are you sure you are able to walk ten more minutes?"

"I seriously don't know," Edward yawned.

Roy had a thoughtful look, before he smiled again. "I could carry you, if you want."

Edward choked on air, turning to look at his companion with an incredulous look. Roy burst out laughing, and Edward blushed. "You are an absolute jerk."

"I'm trying to be helpful and this is the response I get?"

"If you shut up, that would be the greatest help I could get."

"That wouldn't be going to sleep?"

"Shutting up would be the second greatest help then." Edward shook his head. He leaned his head on Roy. ' _Just for a few seconds._ '

Within those few seconds, he was asleep.

* * *

Roy paused as Edward fell asleep on his arm. _'He must have been really exhausted.'_

He was ready to wake him up, but stopped. Edward had gone through a lot in a single night; it would be better to give him the rest he needed.

This left only one option – actually carrying the child. When Roy had suggested that, he hadn't really meant it.

He prayed to all the gods that existed that his best friend, Major Maes Hughes, wouldn't see him. The streets of Central were usually empty this late at night, and Roy knew many lesser-used shortcuts to his own home. But Maes knew those shortcuts just as well. If his best friend saw him, he would have a new set of photos as blackmail material. Until Roy found them and burned them, that is.

' _If you only knew the pains I go through to help you,'_ Roy thought as he picked up the boy bridal-style.

* * *

When Edward woke up, it was in a room with light-brown walls and minimalistic furniture. He jumped out of the bed he had been sleeping on ( _'I don't remember sleeping…'_ ), clutching the blanket. His feet met the ground with a loud sound. He scanned the room, worry filling his heart. He didn't know where he was, but one thing was for sure – this wasn't his home.

He stiffened as he heard a knock on the door.

"Edward?" A familiar voice called.

He tried to remember what had happened yesterday, and it all rushed into his mind. "Yeah," he spoke after a few seconds, feeling a lump in his throat.

The door opened inward, and he looked at Roy.

"I heard something," the vampire said. "You've been sleeping for nearly twelve hours. I was getting ready to wake you up."

"It's afternoon?"

Roy nodded in reply.

"How did I get here? I remember…" he blushed lightly. The last thing he remembered was leaning on Roy. Had he truly fallen asleep on him?

"You slept. And I… carried you."

Edward's blush darkened. "When you said that, I didn't know you actually meant it."

"I didn't know it either." Roy looked slightly less embarrassed. "It's a good thing Central's usually clear at nights. Not many people want to get in the way of a hunting vampire or werewolf."

"This never happened."

The corners of Roy's mouth lifted. "Sure."

"You know how to cook?" Edward asked as he smelled food.

"I live alone, so I had to learn cooking. That is, before I became a vampire." The boy could sense Roy didn't want to talk more about it. He simply nodded. "I've left the food on the stove. If I don't go now, we won't have lunch. Just turn left and go straight. You'll find the bathroom," Roy said before walking out.

Edward looked at the vampire for some seconds, before he dropped the blanket onto the bed and exited the room.

* * *

Roy put the fried rice on two plates and held them by the edges as he walked to the dining room.

It was a Sunday, which meant no work. For today, there would be no problem. But Roy wondered what he would do with Edward come tomorrow. He couldn't leave the boy alone at his home; the boy was only eleven and there was nothing for him to do. But at the office, it would be the same problem.

He placed the plates on the table and turned around, having heard Edward's footsteps.

"Good afternoon!" The boy said, far too cheerfully, but Roy noticed his eyes were red. "You look worried."

"As it happens, today was my freedom from work."

"Where do you work?" He asked as he sat on a chair and dragged a plate towards him.

It was such an innocuous question that Roy hadn't even realized he had answered it. "In the military."

Edward froze, hand hovering over the plate. "The… The military?"

Roy felt so stupid; he was ready to bang his head on a table. He knew people had a bad opinion of the military, and they were justified. He also knew the boy would react in such a way; State Paranormals were greatly hated after the Ishval Civil War.

There was no use trying to deny it. He nodded.

Edward stared at him with wide gold eyes. The awkward silence stretched on.

"You… As what… I mean…" Edward looked cute fumbling with his words.

He decided to spare the boy the torture. "I am a Lieutenant Colonel…" He added after a moment of thought, "And a State Paranormal." It was better if Edward heard it from him, rather than get angry at a later date because he withheld this fact.

"That's the work you have tomorrow? At the military?" There was a trace of surprise and fear in the boy's eyes. "What ability do you have?"

"Pyrokinesis." He paused as Edward gasped, curiosity in his eyes. "And work? It's just paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork," he said, throwing his hands in the air.

Edward snorted, before he turned serious again. "That's all you do?"

"Usually, yes."

Roy was glad the boy didn't ask any more questions as they both started eating.

* * *

Edward looked at the extensive library in front of him with wide eyes before turning towards Roy with an almost reverent expression. "You are a _god_."

"First time I've been called that."

"This… This is amazing!" Roy felt his heart warm at Edward's happiness.

"You like reading?" When the boy looked uncomfortable, he added. "Don't answer if you don't want to. I'll understand."

"We had a lot of books at home. Lots of them were the bastard's personal ones." Edward looked at the carpeted floor, before looking back at him. "Thank you!"

"I do expect you to answer when I call you in a few hours."

Edward glanced at the clock, which showed 2:37 p.m. "How much time can I stay here?" His voice was almost pleading.

"The library won't be going anywhere, Edward. However, your health is a much bigger concern. Causing problems such as," Roy smirked. "Your lack of height."

"Who're you calling so short that the stamp of a boot wouldn't do them any harm because they'd just go under the soles!? And don't you dare force me to drink that vile cow secretion!"

Roy had learned that the hard way when he offered a glass of milk to Edward after lunch. He had vowed to himself to keep the milk cartons protected after that.

"I won't. Just answer me when I call. If you don't… Well, I have the only key to the library…"

"You wouldn't be so cruel!"

Roy smirked. "Don't force me to be."

* * *

It took four shouts of 'Edward' before he finally answered. In his defense, he was reading an absolutely fantastic book on supernatural abilities, trying to learn more about pyrokinesis.

He had eaten dinner as fast as possible, despite Roy's warning, in a rush to get back to the library. Halfway through, when he started choking, Roy had stopped him.

"As I have told you, Edward, you have time to read the books," the vampire had said. After he finished clearing his throat, Roy had given him a glass of water. "I'm putting a rule. You have to sit at the table for at least forty-five minutes whether you have finished eating or not."

Although Edward gave a sad look, Roy had stayed determined.

* * *

"Why did you grow such long hair?" Roy asked, as he watched Edward comb his hair in his room, looking into the large mirror.

Edward turned to him. "I never had the heart to cut it. It reminded Mom of… _him_."

Roy knew by the tone that Edward was talking about his father.

"I can braid it for you," he offered.

"No thanks," Edward immediately refused. "I… I'm just not comfortable."

' _This must have been something related to his mother,'_ Roy thought. "What would you think about coming to my office tomorrow? Or perhaps you would wish to stay in the library all day?"

"I want to stay, but when will you be back?"

"Usually at five p.m. unless something comes up, in which case I'll call and inform you. After I come back, we will have to go shopping for you."

"Okay." Edward wasn't happy at the idea of shopping, but it wasn't like there was a choice. "But." The werewolf avoided looking at Roy. "Won't I be imposing on you?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Imposing? It's my wish, Edward." He left the ' _You don't have anybody else_ ' unsaid.

Roy spoke as Edward finished tying his hair into a ponytail, "Good night, Edward." He turned and walked to his room.

"Good night, Mustang!" He heard just before he closed the door.

* * *

 _At Resembool…_

"Granny, what happened?" Winry asked as Pinako came back, a grave look on her face.

Pinako wondered whether to tell her or not, before deciding the truth was the best. "Alphonse died, Winry. Edward… seems to have run away."

Winry's blue eyes widened. "Al's… dead? What about Aunty Trisha?"

Pinako really wished she didn't have to spill this news to Winry. She was too young. "She's also dead, Winry."

"Who… Who killed them?" Winry's voice was filled with tears.

"Leon. He's dead now." She and some others were worried in the afternoon, having not seen any of the Elrics. Having gone there, they came upon a scene of bloody death. From what they could piece together, Leon had entered and attacked them, and Edward had killed him before leaving.

"Edward will be found." Some werewolves had volunteered to find the young Elric. She hoped it wouldn't be soon before they found him. And once they did, they could bring him back and keep him safe from future attacks. She couldn't even begin to imagine his state of mind.

Winry bit her lower lip as tears fell down her cheeks.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry if I messed up Winry's and Pinako's character. It's been some time since I watched the anime.**

 **About Ed and Roy talking calmly after Ed's breakdown, Roy started speaking with Edward to take his mind away from the sadness, but because it's from our shorty's perspective, it's not mentioned. Also, Edward hasn't experienced as much as problems as our canon one (no human transmutation scars, no trying to get Al's body back, no automail surgery). I'm confused on what Roy's Paranormal title should be. Please tell me if I did anything wrong.**


	3. Of Nightmares and a Chase

**A/N: Here's the weekly update! This week has been slightly busy for me, and though I get like an hour of freedom every day, I prefer to spend it on reading epic FMA fics. And my outline for the plot is more solid now. I've planned eleven chapters (including an epilogue), and I figured this isn't going to have much action. Mostly just Parental!RoyEd (I'm addicted to it…).**

 **Thanks to everybody who read, fav'd and followed, and a special thank you to pokeperson01!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Of Nightmares and a Chase**

* * *

 _The vampire fell, like all the others had, with a well-placed slash on the neck. He could only stand and watch; unable to move, unable to interfere._

 _The wolf, the killer, turned around, its claws crusted with blood. Its fur was matted with the red liquid. It turned into a human, and a face he had always seen when he looked into a mirror looked at him. And then a smile spread over its face; an eerie twisted smile._

Edward screamed.

* * *

Roy had been reading one of the books on his personal desk when the comfortable silence was shattered by a scream. There was only one person in the house other than him. _Edward._

He took long strides, barely stopping himself from running. He opened the door to the guest bedroom with slightly more force than necessary and stepped in. Only to see Edward twisting side to side and crumpling the sheet in his hands. The boy was tangled up in the thick blanket, crying something in a low voice.

He wasn't a stranger to nightmares. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he pushed Edward's shoulder and called out his name. It took three tries, but the werewolf responded, opening wide teary eyes.

Roy didn't know what happened in those few seconds, but suddenly, he had a kid hugging him and crying his eyes out. Almost reflexively, he hugged the boy back.

"I… I'm a monster. I killed everyone and they all fell and there was blood everywhere. And he turned and… and he smiled." Edward continued rambling, unconscious of where he was.

Roy didn't understand half of what the boy was saying, but he thought he understood the gist. Of course, having killed somebody was something very difficult to go through, and as Edward had been too exhausted last night, he was dealing with it tonight.

"You are not a monster," Roy said sharply. "I have seen monsters, too many for this lifetime, and you are not one." He emphasized his last four words, and was rewarded with the boy looking up at him, tear tracks on his face.

Edward hung his head. "But… but I killed him and then I ran away-"

"You killed to protect yourself. That is generally considered self-defense." Roy tightened his embrace, because he honestly had no idea what else to do.

"You weren't there. You didn't see… I-I went past self-defense… I was mutilating him even after he died! That… That's not…" The werewolf's voice hitched, and more tears ran down his cheeks.

Roy rarely had to comfort people, especially children. The only one he could remember was Elicia, when she was a month old, crying insistently because she was woken up. And that was an easily solved problem.

He let his hands rest on Edward's shoulders. "Edward, yes, you killed someone. But remember the reason. You did it to protect yourself. From what you told me, he barged into your home and attacked your family. To attack back is self-defense. And that is what you did. Perhaps you went a bit too far, but you have concrete reasons. And you feel guilt for your actions. A monster does not feel guilty. As long as you learn from this and control yourself, you will never stray. Understood?"

The boy nodded after a moment of hesitation, loose golden hair hiding his face. Roy lifted one hand to brush it back. "Aloud, now. Did you understand me?"

"Yeah," Edward spoke. He asked after some time, "Will it… Will it ever get better?" Roy almost smiled, despite the seriousness of the situation. The werewolf had somehow picked up on the fact that Roy had his own visions, of blood and fire and a desert where he vowed to bring a better future for his country. Edward had killed only one, unlike him, and with good reason, but eleven was too young to have blood on your hands.

"Less frequent but not any less terrible," Roy answered. "As it is the middle of night, Edward, you need your sleep."

"Sorry for waki- Oh yeah, vampires don't sleep," the boy said sheepishly. "Sorry for disturbing you, then."

Roy wanted to punch something. It was not out of anger, as would be the first impression, but out of disbelief that Edward could still think he was disturbing Roy, especially as Roy was doing it voluntarily. "Edward, this is another thing to talk about. Stop apologizing to me."

When the boy tried to protest, Roy continued, "Whatever you may think, this is not an inconvenience to me. You are not forcing me to do anything, so there is no need for you to apologize."

Having somebody at home was actually a nice feeling for Roy. Usually, his day was a boring routine, coupled with the fact he could not sleep meant he had to go through every single hour. That was actually why he had such a large library. Books managed to help him pass the time. But Edward was a change, and though Roy was a vampire, the boy still trusted him.

Roy was almost getting up to leave, when Edward pulled his sleeve. "Edward?"

"I… I… Could you… not leave?" Edward looked conflicted, his hand tightly gripping on to the black cloth.

Roy considered it. He had no wish to watch a child sleep for six hours. But he could sit and read something he supposed. "I'll just go take a book and come back."

Edward nodded, letting go. Roy noticed how tense Edward was and recalled the boy's words earlier – ' _I killed everyone._ ' Had he truly watched himself kill everybody he had known?

Roy took 'The Fuhrer's Blade' from his stack of books and went back to the guest bedroom. As Edward slept, he sat at the plain wooden table and read the book for the fourth time. When he finished it, he went back and took the next book. This routine continued till the clock struck five.

That night, Edward had no more nightmares.

* * *

 _Fourteen hours ago_ …

Julius led the group of six carefully, following the tracks left by Edward. They were clear in the dirt, and Julius was glad nothing had wiped it away. The tracks and Edward's scent was the only things they had to track him down.

"The wolf's footprints stop here, Julius. There's two, they meet with another two," his sister, Amanda, said, stopping at a large tree outside Central City. "Then one of the two pairs walked out from here, with more visible footprints."

"And there's the scent of a vampire around here," another werewolf added, quite unhelpfully, as Julius could already see (well, smell) that.

"He was either captured alive or dead," Amanda continued. "I would say dead, as we're dealing with a vampire-" She sneered at the last word, "But we can say he was taken for some reason, because of the heavy footprints." Amanda was usually sweet, but the worry she (and all of them) had for the young Elric had changed her in the last few hours.

Julius wished he could say the unknown vampire and Edward could have got along well, but that would be a lie. Vampires and werewolves never got along.

"It's a vampire past his newborn," Julius concluded aloud. If it wasn't, blood would have been spilt. A lot of it.

"Past here is to Central. Too many scents there and no more tracks. We wouldn't be able to find him," a black wolf spoke, looking at Julius for his opinion.

"We'll have to go back and tell them then. We only have two options now; to try and find him by ourselves or to report it to the police." Julius spoke. "We can decide on that once we get back to Resembool."

"I do hope the boy is safe. What Leon did was horrible. The Elrics were so sweet…" Lea, a brown wolf, spoke sadly.

"Attacking a werewolf, a child at that. What guts," Amanda hissed, sniffing the air.

And Julius wished he could refute that point, say that Edward was still alive and safe, but he just couldn't.

* * *

 **A/N: In the last scene, all of them are speaking to each other in wolf language. And Edward's politeness - he just has no need to put up a bitter front.**

 **This is a bit of a rush job, and far shorter than my usual chapters, but I honestly couldn't think of anything more to add to it to make it longer. Sorry for any mistakes. But I think it ended at a pretty good point.**

 **Misc. info: The book Roy is reading is the other-world version of "The Emperor's Edge" by Lindsay Buroker.**

 **The next chapter will be a transition chapter, and I'll try my best to make up for this chapter in that. Though I may not update on time, since I have a quiz to prepare for. Anyway... hope you enjoyed this one!**


	4. The Calm before the Storm

**A/N: Hello! Here's the fourth chapter (with important info to note for the future). Researching ages and dates makes me tired…**

 **To the reviewers: pokeperson01, I hope it's a pleasant surprise that the next chapter is focused on the reactions of the pack (or two wrench-wielding scary women…) and Ed's future. Also, Squee-bunny, your wish is granted (kinda).**

 **A huge thanks to everybody again! You all give me inspiration. Without further ado, let's start!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Calm before the Storm (i.e. Two Certain Females…)**

* * *

 _Thursday, 15_ _th_ _October_

 _6:26 PM_

If one were in the hall, they could hear the snippets of conversations drifting from beyond the door.

"I won't miss the deadline, I swear."

"Excuse me, sir, but you almost would have."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm glad for your help, Lieutenant."

Roy unlocked the door, while his faithful subordinate carried a stack of paperwork in her hands.

"Edward!" Roy shouted, as he normally did. Just to reassure himself that the boy hadn't gone missing, as silent as he normally was when stuck in the library. He shouted once more. The sound easily carried to the library, and the boy's super hearing would help him hear Roy's call.

"Yeah, jerk! Let me just finish putting this back… and…" Edward's voice drifted off.

Riza looked confused, though she couldn't be blamed. Roy had kept it a secret from everybody that Edward was living with him. It wasn't that Roy didn't trust them; it was just that there were bound to be problems, considering the enmity between vampires and werewolves.

The lieutenant placed the stack on the nearby table, and closed and locked the door. When she turned around, the door of the library was pulled inward and a blond kid came out. The two locked into a staring competition for about four seconds, before the boy muttered a "Hello" and looked at Roy for guidance.

"Edward, this is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. She is a part of my unit in the military." Roy then looked at Riza. "Lieutenant, this is Edward Elric, from the East."

"You should be a supernatural if you're in his unit," Edward stated, pointing at Roy.

Although the question was blunt and Riza hadn't expected Roy to take in a child, she only let a small amount of surprise to show on her face as she said, "Yes." There was a pause. "I am a werewolf. Hello, Edward." They shook hands briefly.

She turned to Roy. "He's been here for how long?" She added 'sir' like an afterthought.

"Two weeks." He already knew his lieutenant's thoughts before she could speak. "You wouldn't have seen him around as I am worried on sending him out, considering-"

"I'm also a werewolf," Edward completed the sentence.

Riza looked between the two of them, and this time her shock was far more visible. Vampires and werewolves were enemies, and to have them live together was like having a cat and a dog together. The hatred was just natural.

Though it seemed that Roy and Edward had managed to go past that.

"What happened, sir?" She asked.

Roy looked at Edward. The boy told the story as briefly as possible, not allowing himself in dwell in the tsunami of emotions from past events. It took about seven minutes, and through it all, Edward's voice was blank.

"So you haven't gone shopping for him?"

"I did, though the clothes advertised for his age were a bit too… large for him," Roy smirked as he remembered that. Edward's rage after Roy had calmly told him it was labeled for eleven-year-olds was hilarious.

"I am not small," Edward growled, his hands clenched into fists.

"Oh, yes," Roy said in a disbelieving tone.

The two fought, forgetting who their guest was, until a bang resounded in the room. Both Edward and Roy looked at an annoyed Riza Hawkeye, who was holding a gun with smoke trailing from its end. On the opposite light-green wall was a hole. Roy didn't dare whine about having to fix it.

"Gentlemen, calm down," she said, putting her gun back in her holster, though she tapped it in warning.

They didn't dare go against her.

* * *

 _Saturday, 24_ _th_ _October_

 _2:07 PM_

"Roy!" The cheerful shout was followed by insistent, annoying knocks.

Roy rolled his eyes while Edward froze and asked, "Who's that?"

"My friend," Roy answered, walking over to the door.

As he opened it, Edward saw a tall dark-haired man wearing rectangular spectacles. "Hello!" He said, before his hazel gaze turned to Edward. "You have a kid, Roy? Who's the mother? Why didn't you tell me? Though he's not half as cute as my Elicia! Have you seen Elicia wearing that yellow-"

"Maes!"

"Is there _anything_ similar between us?" Edward asked wide-eyed.

"What's your name?"

Edward paused, taking a step back. Only now had he registered the scent of the visitor. "You're a vampire?"

"Everybody, please calm down." Roy raised a hand, suddenly feeling like Riza. But without the gun to help him. "Maes, this is Edward Elric. He is from Resembool in the East. He is a werewolf."

"That's a long way from Central." Maes whistled. He then registered the last part of Roy's words, and blinked in surprise.

"This is Major Maes Hughes, Edward. He works in the Investigations Office. And yes, he is a vampire."

"You live with a werewolf?" Maes burst out, before adding, "No offense, Edward."

"None taken."

"I found him three weeks ago. It's a long story." Roy glanced at Edward. He wouldn't force the boy to speak. It was Edward's wish if he wanted to tell, though after Riza, Roy didn't think he would have a problem.

And Edward trusted Roy's choice in friends, so he didn't have one.

"So you're afraid of going back? It doesn't mean everybody would have to be like that," Maes said, tactfully not pitying the boy.

"I can't risk it." Edward shook his head. "I'd rather die than allow Winry or Granny to get hurt." He knew they would be worse off, considering Pinako was old and Winry hadn't transformed yet.

"Who are they?" Maes asked.

"The Rockbells. They… We're all as close as family." Although Maes noticed Roy flinching with a look of terror and guilt in his eyes, Edward didn't.

Acting as if that hadn't happened, Maes continued his train of thought, "But nobody can see you here due to the werewolf-vampire problems... So, who else knows?"

"Riza."

"That's a really well-kept secret. Though I'm hurt you didn't tell me, Roy." Maes pouted. He then looked at Edward in shock as something clicked. "Does that mean you haven't seen my darling Elicia? And my angel Gracia?"

Edward slowly nodded.

Immediately, a stack of photos were thrust under the werewolf's nose, followed by Maes' ramblings.

Roy was extremely glad he didn't need to breathe, because otherwise he would have suffocated laughing at Edward's uncomfortable expression (though the boy was too polite to actually tell Maes to shut up) and Maes' blissful lack of acknowledgement.

* * *

 _Tuesday, 27th October_

 _8:32 PM_

Roy had just asked it out of curiosity one day, wishing to know more about the blond he was living with. "What's your dream for the future?"

Edward mulled over it for a few moments before answering, "I don't have one."

"You don't?"

"Before I just wanted to live happily and make sure Mom and Al were happy… but I guess that doesn't apply now. What's yours?"

Roy hesitated, knowing it was rather traitorous to voice aloud, but he was talking to Edward, after all. The boy wasn't part of the military, and he didn't look like he was going to be any time soon. "I want to make the country better. I want to change it," Roy finally answered with conviction.

Edward didn't need anything more to understand what Roy was alluding to; there was only one way he could ensure his goal. With no little amount of surprise, he asked, "You want to become the Fuhrer?"

Roy nodded. "I know it seems a bit too high, but it's not impossible."

"That's a really good one, you know? But even if it's not impossible, don't you think it's pretty hard for one person alone?"

"I have my team to help me all the way, Edward. And one day, Amestris will shed its past for a bright future."

"It better. Or I'll hunt you and force you to do it." Roy couldn't say how much it meant to him.

* * *

 _Monday, 2_ _nd_ _November_

 _8:14 PM_

Edward was increasingly on edge as night approached and the moon shone bright, and Roy couldn't fathom why.

So he decided to ask Edward himself.

The boy frowned, answering, "I just feel weird. It's just…"

Understanding dawned onto Roy. "Edward, have you looked out?"

"What?"

"Today is a full moon night."

"One lunar month is over?" Edward asked, not understanding what Roy was getting at, before his eyes widened. "You mean… I… but-"

"It's the pull of the moon. You transformed once, so the pull gets stronger," Roy explained calmly.

He had actually seen the effect it had on his lieutenant many times, opting to not let her stay late and work on full moon nights just because of how jittery she would get. Although Riza resented it, he knew she was glad for the break. Today however, they had managed to complete work early, so the fact it was a full moon tonight slipped past Roy.

"But what if I attack you or something?" Roy felt heartened at Edward's concern.

"I do assure you fire is a good deterrent for many. And that you will most likely keep your mind, considering that you are a born werewolf."

"I'm sorry-" But that was as far as Edward got before Roy cut him off. "No apologies."

Roy ended up somewhat correct; though Edward had the instincts of a wolf, he never tried to attack the vampire and he only gave a short growl that faded away after recognizing Roy.

Roy spent the night next to a silent wolf in the living room. When dawn came, Edward was sleeping peacefully on Roy's lap, passed out from the exhaustion of the painful forced transformation.

* * *

 _Friday, 20_ _th_ _November_

 _8:09 PM_

After learning that the Rockbells were actually the only family Edward had left, Roy's guilt in killing the doctors in Ishval had resurfaced from his buried memories, pounding at him with intensity. He chose to ignore it, knowing there was nothing he could do for the past except to make the future better.

"Do you wonder about going back to Resembool?" He asked Edward over dinner.

"What's with you and asking me deep questions?" Edward grumbled. "Yeah, I do. And sometimes I wonder how much they worry over what happened. But going back is a danger for all of us. If not for my bastard of a father, I'll be attacked for daring to be friends with an enemy. That doesn't reflect my thoughts, by the way," Edward added hastily.

"I mean, I'd love to see them, though not with the prospect of facing Winry's wrench."

"Wrench?" Roy asked, suddenly frightened.

Edward nodded. "Winry with a wrench is scary. And she keeps hitting me in the head even if I haven't done anything." Roy winced.

"I suppose that could account for lack of physical growth."

"I swear, you jerk, if you weren't this helpful, I would strangle you and throw you into a river."

"Isn't it good I don't need to breathe?" Roy asked, taking a spoon of soup.

"But you still do," Edward pointed out. "Why?"

Roy shrugged. "A habit for twenty-three years, and continuing. It's tough to break."

"Twenty-three? You look about thirty."

"I am only twenty-five for your knowledge." Roy pouted. "You're just jealous of my youth."

Edward snickered, but chose not to comment. "Does that mean you became a vampire two years ago?"

"Yes." That curt answer was enough for Edward not to ask anything more.

* * *

 _Friday, 11_ _th_ _December_

 _9:46 PM_

It was after dinner, and just before going to sleep, that Edward had come to Roy with his hair loose and a hairbrush and black hair tie held in his hands.

Roy lifted his head from the book he was reading, seated on the comfortable navy sofa. "Yes, Edward?" He asked softly, setting aside the book.

"Would you… Would you braid my hair?" It came out fast, and pink lightly dusted Edward's cheeks as the boy focused his eyes on the ground.

Roy chuckled. "Of course. Come over here, Edward." Edward walked over to Roy, handing him the hairbrush and tie, and sat down on the floor in front of the vampire.

Roy abandoned the hairbrush, instead using his fingers to gently untangle the cascade of gold.

Halfway through, Edward slumped forward. Roy stopped, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders and pulling him back. "Edward?"

"Just sleepy," he muttered drowsily.

"It's past your bedtime, isn't it?" Roy barely suppresed a laugh. "Wait till I finish."

By the time Roy had braided Ed's hair, the boy had fallen asleep, leaning on Roy's leg. Roy laughed lightly, picking him up from his uncomfortable position and walking through the corridor to put him to bed.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, I'm going with the Roy kills Rockbells route. It's a far more angsty opportunity. Misc. Info: Pureblood vampires are vampires that are born as one. They can only be born to a human and a vampire. Like Elysia. BTW, I had a small problem with the FMA timeline, so take it that Elysia is a month old in 1910 (though she's born in 1911).**

 **I wanted to write one more scene, but I think this chapter started getting a bit long, along with the fact that the scene is long enough to stand as a chapter alone. I hope the Parental!Roy satisfies. As always, expect my update next Friday.**


	5. The Lesser Evil

**A/N: We've actually reached chapter five (surprised). I did quite some research for this one, though I could have possibly screwed stuff up. With this, about half the story is complete (excluding epilogue). Thank you to all of you! The support is overwhelming.**

 **Small note: Although there are separate, more stronger werewolf packs in Resembool, they all unite to form one huge (happy?) family under one alpha.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Lesser Evil**

* * *

 _Friday, 12_ _th_ _February_

Four months. Four months of debates that turned into arguments, of barbs thinly disguised as concerns.

As there were to any debate, there were two sides to this one as well. Pinako and many other wanted to give the case to the military, no matter the personal grievances, and find Ed.

Their opposition didn't want to show weakness to vampires, didn't want to rely on the hated military, and believed it was possible to find Edward on their own despite all evidence to the contrary.

Those who took neither side believed Edward was truly dead.

It was Julius' and Amanda's words that made Pinako realize she didn't need any of them. She was so set on making others see her side that she had forgot it was her decision in the end. While the village alpha supported her, she could go alone to Central and there was literally nothing anybody could do to stop her.

And that was exactly what she did. She closed the shop for a few days, informed the alpha, and took young Winry with her to the train station to catch the train bound to Central. She felt pride flutter as she saw the determined look on the eleven-year-old girl's face. _'How much like her mother.'_

Within three hours, the two were headed west.

* * *

 _Friday, 12_ _th_ _February_

 _8:38 PM_

It had only been two and a half hours since Roy came back from work, tired of paperwork. It was another normal day at work, with the usual shenanigans in the office and Riza's wonderful (read: scary) way of encouragement.

After dinner, Edward and Roy had been discussing on the quite controversial issue of supernatural hunting when the phone rang. The annoying ringtone persistently went on.

"Just wait, Ed," Roy muttered as he stood up to pick the phone. Edward leaned back on the chair as Roy opened the door.

Although the door was closed, he was still able to hear Roy's very faint voice in a conversation that lasted for about three minutes before the vampire came back.

"It was Hughes," the lieutenant colonel answered Edward's curious look. "Sorry, Ed, but I have work." The werewolf sensed there was something Roy wasn't telling him, but he decided not to pry.

"Now?" He asked, standing up. "We were having a really good debate." Edward enjoyed being able to just talk like this to someone. And Roy was very good at arguing for his points.

"A soldier has to be ready at all times. You never know when you can be called," Roy said, rushing upstairs to change his uniform.

"I'll most likely be back in an hour. If I'm not back by ten-"

"Remove the key, switch off the lights and go to sleep. Yeah." Edward mindlessly repeated the familiar routine. It was rare that Roy got called to the office after work, happening only thrice in the four months Edward had been there, but each time Roy had told him the same thing.

Roy came back in a record seven minutes, slinging his coat over himself. He only paused to take his car keys and wallet placed on the high wall shelf.

"See ya!" Edward shouted with a wave, closing and locking the door when Roy went down the staircase of the apartment.

* * *

Roy had expected this to happen. The only thing was that he thought it would take far less than four months. Perhaps four weeks, if it was to get long-drawn.

Maes' words repeated in his mind as he turned the car key and the engine came to life. _"I've got a case. Missing person. You'll probably recognize it – blond, golden-eyed, currently eleven years old, named Edward Elric."_

Being part of the only team in the Investigations Office that was comprised of supernaturals, almost all the supernatural cases in that division went to the team's desk.

Traffic was heavy, being the time that many people closed shops and returned home, and it took him ten minutes to reach Central Command Headquarters, rather than the normal five. He got out of the car and briskly walked into HQ, sparing greetings and salutes for the soldiers around him.

"Maes, what else?" Those were the first words he spoke to his best friend as he entered his office. It was nearly empty, with only two others who looked up and saluted as Roy entered before returning to their work.

"I got called here by Lieutenant Colonel Keith Cromwell. The case was filed an hour ago by an old woman named Pinako Rockbell. She also gave her contact number. We were told she was returning to Resembool on the train tomorrow evening. You know how rare trains to the countryside are," Maes said in a low voice after Roy sat down and leaned forward.

"What should I do?" Roy sighed. Maes gave him some pretty good advice when he needed it (except for his constant words of _'Go find yourself a wife'_ ).

"Discuss with Edward," Maes smiled knowingly. "You've gotten attached to him, haven't you? This is why I keep telling you family is wonderful." Sometimes, Roy hated the fact Maes could read him so easily.

"I'm more afraid of the reaction of the Rockbells after the quite frightening words Edward gave me. I have no wish to get hit in the head with a wrench."

Although Maes' eyes widened, the man kept silent about that particular statement.

"Anyway, call me once you make a decision. Before tomorrow evening preferably. I'll be home with my angels. Oh, by the way, I'm sure you haven't seen this new photo of Elicia! Look at her smile! Isn't she the most cutest child you've ever seen! And this one – she looks good in all the colours, but don't you think blue particularly suits her?"

Roy only had the patience to go through a dozen of Maes' photos before he stopped the man and left.

* * *

Edward had been sitting in the living room and reading a thick book when the bell rang. He put a bookmark on the page he had been reading before closing and placing it on the table. He then walked over to the door. He took a quick look through the peephole, needing to stand on the tip of his toes. Seeing Roy, he turned the key and opened the door.

It had been only fifty minutes since Roy left, and Edward honestly hadn't expected the vampire to come back as fast as he had, considering two out of three times, he had come back at midnight.

"What's the matter?" He asked as soon as Roy entered, hanging his black overcoat on the coat rack. "Or is it too sensitive for civilian ears?"

"Actually, Ed, it… It concerns you," Roy said.

"Me? How am I in any way connected?" Edward asked.

Roy unbuttoned his blue military uniform and descended onto the navy sofa. "I'm surprised you haven't thought about the consequences of your action, Ed," he said, watching the gears turn in the boy's mind.

It took a few seconds, considering the event in question had happened months ago, but Edward asked quietly, "Is it about me running away?"

Roy nodded. "Today, at about 1930 hours, Edward Elric was reported missing." He abandoned his military tone as he continued, "The case ended up on Maes' desk. It seems the Rockbells are in Central."

"The case was filed four months later." There was a bit of shock in Edward's voice. "Aren't missing cases supposed to be filed, like, immediately so that the person can be found that much faster?"

"Considering the fact that according to given information, you are legally presumed dead, and the Eastern-wide hatred for the military after the Ishval Civil War, I expected it to be delayed."

"You expected it?" Edward's unsaid _'And you didn't tell me'_ echoed in the living room.

"Anybody would have expected it."

"So what happen next? Do you know when Granny and Winry are leaving?" Edward asked.

"Tomorrow evening." Roy decided to address the easier question first. "As to what happens next, it depends on you." Edward frowned, but kept quiet as Roy continued.

"I suppose we have quite a few avenues now. You can return to Resembool, in which case the Rockbells will most likely take guardianship. Or you can choose to become a ward of the State, where you will be provided food, education and other necessities in the State's expense."

Roy paused before giving the last option. "Or you can choose to be adopted. It would be open, as you already know your biological parents. And it would cause a lot of problems in the beginning, I suppose. Of course, we will have to meet with the Rockbells before they leave, unless you either want to call them here again or take a trip to Resembool."

"So three options," Edward sighed, looking down at his interlocked hands.

"Edward, if you don't mind me asking, is there a greater reason behind you not wanting to go to Resembool?"

Edward hesitated before answering with a nod. "I just… I can't help them and I don't have anything to do there and I just can't stay!" Edward's words had slowly gone higher and faster.

"Calm down," Roy said soothingly. "You wouldn't mind if the Rockbells came over? And of course, your decision?"

"No. And… can I just have… some more time?" It wasn't exactly a shock, but Edward couldn't make a proper decision now.

"The State will do their best to solve missing cases, especially voluntarily missing ones. You have time, though the case will have to be closed quickly, so I estimate about three days," Roy said. "I'll call up Maes and tell him to escort them here tomorrow. Afternoon?" The vampire stood up to take the phone.

"Yeah, okay," Edward said, standing up as well.

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow is sure to be a long day."

"You don't need to tell me that." Edward winced, thinking about Winry. He walked to his bedroom, mind heavy with the thought of the options at hand.

* * *

 **A/N: Again, this is quite short compared to my other chapters, but I hope it suffices. I'm not exactly sure whether I'll be able to post next week, but I'll try my best.**

 **Misc. Info: Unlike what it may seem like, the number of supernaturals in Amestris is minute compared to the human population. Roy's and Maes' team are actually two of the seven teams in Amestris comprised completely of supernaturals.**

 **Random: Typed 'Maes' as 'Mars' once. Embarrassed does not cover it.**


	6. Flame and Metal

**A/N: Just one thing: this was extremely difficult to write, so I'm very sorry for mistakes and** _ **please**_ **tell me if you find any OOCness. On another note: Yep, all must bow down to the unerring accuracy and strength of the humble wrench, Guest. On with the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Flame and Metal**

* * *

 _Saturday, 13_ _th_ _February_

Roy was dreading what the day would bring. He woke Edward up at eight o'clock, and he noticed the werewolf had the same look of apprehension he did.

Nothing productive had been done the whole day, with the two just sitting and reading books after breakfast. Until two o'clock, at which time Roy called Edward for lunch.

It was at that time the bell rang, continuing on and on. Roy narrowed his eyes at Maes' annoying tendency.

"Hughes has some amazing timing," Edward mumbled, but Roy heard the words clearly.

The two walked into the living room and Roy opened the door quickly as the bell continued to ring.

"You can stop now, Maes," Roy said, glaring at his friend, who let his hand drop with a sheepish smile. His attention turned to the two ladies standing with Maes.

Roy felt guilt suddenly surge through him at full power as he saw the Rockbells' daughter. She looked so much like her mother that Roy clenched his left hand and let his nails dig into his palm to stop himself from apologizing for what he had done.

None of them except Maes knew he had killed the Rockbells, and though it was selfish, Roy wanted some more time before he told it to Edward. He knew he would have to do it; the boy had to be completely informed before he made his choice.

"I thought you said this was about Edward," the girl asked, her words laced with confusion as she spoke to Maes.

Roy moved aside, glancing at Edward, who has just behind the door. "You can't keep hiding, you know."

"I'm not scared," the boy protested, walking over to see the Rockbells. "Hi, Auntie Pinako, Winry," he waved. Roy noticed with amusement that even the girl was a few centimeters taller than Edward.

Roy hadn't known how this girl could be as terrifying as he had been told. That is, until a wrench struck Edward's head and sent the boy stumbling quite some distance backwards.

The girl took a step forward, anger the clearest emotion on her face. Roy got ready to defend the boy; he had no wish to see Edward bleed out with another strike of the dreaded wrench.

But before Roy could, the girl ran forward, wrapping her arms around Edward. "You absolute idiot." Her softly-spoken words were clearly heard in the silence. "You… you're safe and you didn't even think of telling us… Do you know what happened in those four months?"

Roy glanced at the old woman, who had also entered, eyes unreadable and a pipe held in her hand. Maes recalled Roy's words from the night before, understanding that his friend hadn't been joking.

"Don't cry, Winry. I'm sorry… Just don't cry." Edward blushed, sounded lost and unsure.

"It was quite a controversial matter, Miss Rockbell," Roy started, breaking the emotional moment which was making him quite uncomfortable. The girl turned around, her anger again overwhelming her as she pointed a finger in his direction. "And you. Don't even talk. I can understand Ed being a moron as always-" She ignored Edward's heated protest and continued, "But you're supposed to be a responsible adult!"

"Winry," Pinako started warningly.

"I told him not to, Winry," Edward spoke up.

"Why would you-"

Roy looked at Maes, sure that his friend was feeling as uncomfortable as he was. Edward was the only link between them and the two women, and it was for the first time that Roy was getting scolded by a child half his age.

"Mrs. Rockbell, Miss Winry, I think it would be better if we were all seated?" Maes stepped in, standing by Roy's side, and the vampire was glad for his friend's support.

The older lady only nodded, and Winry followed her lead as they sat down. Maes sat on Roy's right, with Edward on the left of the black-haired vampire. On the opposite side of the table, Winry and Pinako were seated.

There was silence, and then Maes stood up, intending to leave the four to the conversation they required. "Do you drink tea?" The two females nodded. He shared a look with his friend. "What would you like?" He directed his question to the Rockbells.

"No sugar or milk please," Pinako spoke. "Two spoons of sugar and milk for Winry." The girl nodded, and Maes walked to the kitchen, closing the door as he entered.

Edward felt uncomfortable as Pinako looked at him wearily. "What happened, Edward?"

The boy straightened from his slouch, mouth moving with no sound as he tried to find the proper words. Even though he had done it thrice, in front of the Rockbells, it was suddenly difficult. He ignored the lump in his throat and the tears that stung his eye as he started, taking comfort from Roy's presence.

They didn't know, or at most, they had only guessed. Unlike Roy, Hughes and Hawkeye, they had known his mother and Al. And that made this all the more difficult. When he reached the part where he had killed Leon, he couldn't speak. The look of pity and horror on Winry's face made it worse.

He was surprised when Roy seamlessly took over, explaining how the two had met. Edward bit his own lip from embarrassed shouting when Roy told them about Edward falling asleep and having to be carried.

Although Winry's eyes narrowed when Roy mentioned he was a vampire, the distrust added with the fact he worked in the military, Edward knew Pinako had already noticed and just chose not to say anything.

Maes came with a tray at that point, giving two cups of tea to the Rockbells, coffee for Roy and apple juice for Edward. "If I was there, I would have taken a photo, Roy. Why didn't you call me?" Maes asked with a pout.

"And that's exactly why I didn't."

Pinako took a sip of tea before placing the cup on the table. "Are you planning on staying here, Edward?"

The boy looked down into his glass. "I don't know."

"If you're worried about Leon-"

"It's not only about Leon, Auntie." He put his glass down, feeling small as he faced Pinako. She looked so calm and thoughtful, and Edward couldn't say what she was thinking.

"Anyway, even if I go to Resembool now, I'll have a new problem. It's not like those traditionalists are going to just let me – I bet half of them would want my head," Edward mumbled, playing with the sleeve of his red shirt. "I mean, that's why the missing report was delayed for this much time. Right?" He looked up.

Pinako nodded, and Winry looked surprised. "You're going to stay here then, Ed?"

"You know it's true, Winry. And that's if you don't have a problem, Roy," he turned to look at the vampire.

"Of course I don't. But remember you do have your options, Edward," Roy spoke up. "In case you don't want to."

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Edward said under his breath, but Roy caught his words and felt enormous pity. No, it wasn't. Every child had their right to childhood before they entered the world of adults.

"Winry, Edward, why don't you two go and talk?" Pinako's words were more like an order, and Roy understood her intentions, adding, "You can show her how you decorated your room, Ed."

"It's not my fault if you don't have any fashion sense."

"Yes, because fashion sense is also known as flashing warning signs. You know, what the colours red and black are commonly used for." Roy raised an eyebrow, daring Edward to argue. It was only due to Roy's intervention that Edward had gone for a lighter red (salmon), rather than the bright eyesore shade he had first chosen. There had been no negotiation with Edward about the black resilient flooring however.

"Come on, Winry." Edward stood up. "Don't believe him. My room's pretty amazing. I even have a book on automail engineering."

That was enough for the girl to jump up and follow Edward, both of them taking their drinks with them.

"I see Edward likes you, Mustang," Pinako started, taking another sip of tea. "And though I would usually wonder whether his trust is misplaced, I know him well enough."

Roy winced at the hard tone. "It was unusual circumstances that led to our meeting. And I am one of the three people he knows in Central."

"It goes beyond that. I have known him since he was born, and he knows how to choose his friends well. He has very few at Resembool, but they would all do anything to help him."

"I- I admit I don't understand, Mrs. Rockbell," Roy said, slightly frowning.

"He wants to stay, not because he feels indebted, but because he truly wants to. What about you?"

Roy wouldn't let his hopes soar too high. Maes' words went through his mind – _"You've gotten attached to him, haven't you?"_

"I will abide by any decision he takes. As I have told him, it's his decision, Mrs. Rockbell."

* * *

"He hasn't hurt you, has he?" Winry took the opportunity away from the adults' ears to ask, seated on the only chair in the room while Edward sat on his bed.

"I promise you he hasn't, Winry." Edward had expected it, to some extent. "It's fun here. Roy can be an annoying jerk, but he means well. And I get to read a lot of books."

"You're such a bookworm, Ed."

"Like you didn't come here only for that automail book, gearhead?" He took it from his tabletop, handing it over. "Roy has a huge library." The book was an advanced one on automail, and Winry skimmed through it, a wide smile on her face.

"What's happening back home?" He asked, watching her set the book aside. "… And what about Mom and Al?"

"Well, nothing much, but there was this huge fight about you. I can't believe it went on for four months. In the end, Granny decided to ignore all of them." She lowered her head, voice low and thick as she said, "Their funeral was held after the group got back. From searching for you." Winry added the last sentence on remembering that Edward didn't know of the search. She recalled the funeral clearly, having stood next to Pinako with tears in her eyes, while wondering where Ed was.

"… I'm sorry, Winry." Winry could hear the sincerity in Ed's voice. "I-"

"I'm glad you're safe, Ed. Just don't do that again."

* * *

"I'll go call them, Mrs. Rockbell," Roy stood up, walking through the corridor to call the children.

His conversation with the old Rockbell had been enlightening, and the tone of her voice when she had said _"If anything happens to him however..."_ was enough to send shivers up his spine. He was sure he hadn't scored any points with her, however, and the only reason she wasn't taking Edward along with her was because of the boy. He wondered why so many women he met were so… tough (Hawkeye and his aunt flashed through his mind, and he knew Gracia could be just as scary when she wanted to be).

"Ms. Rockbell, your grandmother is calling for you," he opened the door wide and said. They stood up, and Winry nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Mustang."

The two followed him into the hall, where Maes was picking up the glasses and keeping them back in the tray. Pinako stood up.

"Thank you for the tea," she said to Maes, before facing them. "We'll be leaving now. Edward," the boy stood straighter (and more taller) when she spoke to him. "Do call every week." She didn't have to say _'Take care'_. Edward heard it clearly in her words.

Winry looked over to Edward with a teasing grin. "You still don't drink your milk, Ed?"

"No," Edward grounded out, feeling annoyance bubble within him.

"You know you need it to get taller-" Winry's grin widened.

"I don't need that disgusting thing to make me taller, and that doesn't mean I'm short, Winry!"

"And yet you're still shorter than your girlfriend," Roy added, watching Maes chuckle as he went to the kitchen.

Winry's eyes widened, though she didn't say anything, while Edward turned to him incredulously, cheeks red. "She's not my girlfriend! And it's not my fault she's so freakishly tall!"

"Edward, what did you say?"

"I said you're freakishly tall, gearhead! You were taller than both Al and me!"

"You can't blame Winry because you are a micro shorty," Pinako said with a smile.

"What did you say, you miniscule hag?"

Roy only chuckled, standing with Maes. He felt lighter, and he was able to set aside his worries on what he had to tell Edward on seeing the peaceful scene.

But his heart constricted at the thought of tonight.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew, that was long and hard. Next is one of the chapters I had been waiting to write, if only for the angst opportunity. Again, sorry for any OOCness.**

 **Misc. Info: A werewolf only gets heightened senses and all after they transform, which was how Ed was able to sense Roy. But Winry hasn't transformed yet.**

 **See you next week!**

 ***Edit (5/11/2016): Quite a few.***


	7. Revelations

**A/N: Sorry about the lateness, but it's still Friday, right? Remember what I said about this being 10 chapters? That completely changed. One boring day at school, I got the idea to merge two chapters, and now we have a longer (better) plot. Only few words for this – pokeperson01, you are right. Prepare for incoming hurt and angst. Because that's a good way to bond.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Revelations**

* * *

Roy had been rightfully dreading the night. He knew Edward needed to know this to make a more informed decision, but he was selfish enough to wish he had more time.

Edward had picked up on his tension, watching him carefully all through dinner. When he took and washed the dishes and came back to the hall, the werewolf stood in front of him with crossed arms.

"What's the matter, Roy? And if you say 'it's nothing', I will punch you. Your mind wasn't here at all during dinner."

He stopped, seeing Edward wasn't going to move out of the way.

"Edward, sit down. You will need it."

Though confused, the boy followed the orders of his caretaker, sitting down on the sofa as Roy sat opposite to him.

"Do you know the work of a soldier?" Roy interlaced his fingers and placed his chin on them, elbows on his knees, as he waited for Edward's reaction.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything." On Roy's serious look, he added, "Protecting the country?"

"What do you know about the Ishval Civil War, Edward?" Roy expected the golden-haired child to know quite a lot, considering Resembool was close to Ishval and news always spread fast.

Edward thought for some time. "Some soldier shot an Ishvalan child, a war began and the Amestrians killed a lot of innocent Ishvalans?"

Not as much as Roy had hoped, but it was somewhere to start. "Until that time, supernaturals were relatively unknown in Amestris, existing only among the Ishvalans."

"If this is for a history lesson, can't we wait till tomorrow?" The werewolf yawned, covering his mouth with a hand politely, as if to prove his point.

"You need to know this." There wasn't something in Roy's voice that told Edward the vampire was serious.

"In 1901, an Amestrian soldier accidentally shot and killed an Ishvalan child. This war lasted for seven years, and in 1908, the Fuhrer issued Order 3066. It forced all soldiers with special battle-related skills to be sent to the frontlines. I… was one of them. My strength was in explosives, along with another State Paranormal named Kimbley."

Edward frowned, taking some time to understand the information overload. "You said two years. You… Ishval…"

"Yes. I became a vampire during the Civil War."

"I still don't see how this is related."

"Patience, Edward. I promise you'll understand the point of what I am saying by the time I am done." Roy leaned back, clasping his hands in his lap as he remembered the war.

"The Ishvalans were a group of supernaturals, with a pact of peace between the vampires and werewolves. When Order 3066 was issued, the Ishvalans were at a great disadvantage. It was at this time they resorted to changing humans into supernaturals." Roy stiffened, his newborn stage coming to mind.

"Riza, Maes and I were just few of many. Maes managed to get past his newborn stage in six days, and he told me it was his girlfriend in Central that pulled him through." He smiled. Gracia had been Maes' light in Ishval, and the only reason Roy had seen an expression of genuine happiness on his friend's face at that time.

"I, however, was… worse off. My newborn rage lasted for nine days, and within that short period of time, I managed to kill more Ishvalans than I had in the three weeks I had been there. It took Maes restraining me to stop me from attacking our comrades." Roy looked down at the look of shock and horror that passed through Edward's face.

Words flitted into his mind. _'Roy, stop this madness. I know you're there, now get up and show that will you had when you said you'd be Fuhrer!'_

He laughed bitterly. "It's a fact that in 1908, many Ishvallans died through flames." He clenched his fists, watching Edward flinch. He deserved every bit of the pain he had got and was going to get.

"It was at the same time the military realized the Rockbell doctors were also helping Ishvalans. With their power of bio-manipulation, helping Ishvalans who would only rejoin the battlefield to fight Amestrian soldiers, as well as their werewolf heritage, they were deemed a threat." He spoke without considering his words. If he did, he knew he would stop, that he would be unable to go on.

"The then-Colonel Basque Grand ordered their execution." His nails dug into his palms at this point. "I was forced to carry it out."

Edward jumped out of his seat, eyes wide. "No," the boy said, as if it would make everything absolute.

"Edward, I killed the Rockbell doctors," he said wearily. "I shot them, and they died holding a picture of their family. They died by my hand. And I was too much of a coward to kill myself."

"No! You… you can't have…" Edward watched him, waiting for him to say it was all a macabre joke.

He looked back, eyes haunted by the acts he had done and the past he could never change. What could he say to the boy?

Edward bolted. He rushed to the door, opening it with a turn of the key and ran out, down the stairwell.

Roy stood up, frozen to the spot. He had expected screaming and shouting, but not Edward running away. Hurt and guilt stabbed at him in succession, and the shock kept him standing like that for minutes.

' _You idiot. He ran out at a time of hunting. He's not safe, so go find him.'_ He followed Edward's path, but he was too late. The boy wasn't there, and he couldn't catch a sight of the unusual golden hair.

* * *

He didn't care where he went. This just couldn't be true. But the look in Roy's eyes, the blazing honesty, it burnt a hole in him.

Tears pricked his eyes as he remembered Sarah and Yuriy Rockbell. The stunned silence when they got the letter telling them of the death of the Rockbells. How Al and he comforted Winry as the girl broke down.

' _Roy, why?'_ He screamed internally. He wanted some answers, he wanted Roy to tell him there was a reason the man had done that other than his orders, which he could have easily ignored. _'If you had stayed there, you would have gotten answers.'_

He stopped near an alley, feeling a shiver run up his spine. There was nobody around, and yet all his senses told him to protect himself. He spun around, feeling uncomfortable.

"Well, what do we have here? Are you lost, poor cub?" A voice came, and a woman appeared from the shadows of the nearby building. Her scarlet eyes were filled with concern. "Why are you away from your pack?"

"Don't you smell it, Alexia? He's been around a vampire for a long time, the traitor." A man walked forward from the alley, and in the dim light, Edward couldn't make out much of him.

Traitor. _"_ _She deserved to die, the traitor."_

"What do you know? He's been around that colonel." A new person. Edward didn't like this. Not one bit.

The eleven-year old took some steps backwards, and Roy's warning came to him. Not to go out, because both werewolves and vampires would hold a grudge against him. It was the reason why he stayed cooped up at Roy's home, and only knew Gracia, Maes, Riza and Roy in Central. He didn't know anybody other than these four, and had only heard stories about the rest of Roy's team.

"The one you hate?" The woman, Alexia, asked.

"He and those other State Paranormals give all of us a bad name. He killed so many Ishvalans with no remorse; how can he even live with himself?"

Edward had seen the remorse in Roy's eyes. He knew the vampire felt guilty, and yet those words sparked a slight doubt within him with the tone that said the man believed his own words.

"Bet you didn't know that," the second man said, looking at Edward.

"Stay back," the boy warned, fear filling him as three more men surrounded him. He was up against a small pack, and he didn't like the one to six odds.

"Alfred, Indolf, he's getting scared. Leave him alone, he's just a child."

Edward would have vehemently denied that if he hadn't been so frightened.

"Alexia, what are you talking about? He's related to that Mustang, this is the best chance we have to get revenge. What about your brother Gilbert?" He spoke to Edward. "Did you know those soldiers killed an innocent man just because he was half-Ishvalan?"

"Alfred," the lady sighed, her one word laced with pain.

"What do I have to do with it?"

"If you are with that vampire even after having heard what he did, you are both a traitor and a heartless child. And I'm sure he'll feel the exact pain we did when you turn up injured."

Alexia spoke up, and Edward desperately wished the woman could help him, "He is a cub, Alfred."

"A cub that sides with the enemy. A wild, untamed cub." The man, Alfred, turned into a light brown wolf.

Edward closed his eyes and focused on the weak pull of the moon. He gave into it, grimacing at the pain that came with transformation. He still hadn't got used to that weird feeling when his whole body shifted to a wolf's.

Except two males, the remaining four turned to wolves. As Alfred leapt at him, Edward sidestepped, letting his claws rake at the wolf's side. It was not a very deep cut, and scarlet lightly glistened on his claws.

But he was only one. The pack had the advantage over him, and they mercilessly used it. One rammed into him, and another bit him when he was down. His wounds were not that painful, and it seemed as if they weren't going for a killing blow.

He got a few seconds of reprieve from the coordinated attacks, and he growled, raising one paw and hitting it firmly on the cemented pavement. Parts of it flew up, aiming at the werewolves. Edward watched in surprise; he didn't know he had a paranormal ability.

"That's mental-based," Alfred growled. "Ferrokinesis. Even more proof you are on the vampire's side."

The werewolf rammed him again, and this time, his head hit the alley wall and he slumped down, unconscious.

Roy, having searched all around the area and still having found no sign of Edward, frantically called the Hughes, hoping his best friend could help him.

* * *

 **A/N: I know it's a bit cliché, but I couldn't resist. And I'm sorry I'm not good at fight scenes. Misc. Info (I keep forgetting to put this): Turned vampires, like Roy, aren't affected by sunlight. However, pureblood vampires lose at least half their power when they are out in sunlight.**

 **Hope you liked it!**


	8. The Defender

**A/N: So, here's the eighth chapter. Let me just say everything I know about concussion is through research, so if I get anything wrong, please correct me. Annoying!Ed is fun to write. On to the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Defender**

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _4:05 AM_

Edward woke up leaning against a cold stone wall. His head throbbed with a dull pain and flashes of light danced in his vision.

He wondered exactly what he was doing in such a place; Roy wouldn't have let him just sleep on the floor. And the floor wasn't this hard either, as Roy had carpeted every room except the kitchen and the bathroom. He looked around, noticing he was in a plain large room – about the size of Roy's hall if it wasn't partitioned into a dining room, actually.

A foggy recollection of yesterday's events came to mind and he remembered hitting his head on the wall of an alley. Great, he probably had a concussion or something.

He raised a hand to rub his bleary eyes, only to be stopped half-way through. Golden eyes turned to his hand, only to see iron shackles binding him. His eyes trailed their path to see they were bound to the wall behind him.

… Wait, iron? But he had ferrokinesis ( _clapping his hands,_ _parts of the pavement breaking and flying_ ), for god's sake; he could control iron.

He focused on the metal, seeing it break apart in his mind's eye.

Seconds passed, and nothing happened. He groaned – his only hope had vanished and his injuries caught up with him, small pinpricks of pain all over his body.

He lifted his head as he heard the sound of a door opening, and watched as a brown-haired, tall man walked in ( _'Andrew? Alph?'_ ).

"You're awake." The words sounded almost ominous, and Edward quashed down the fear in him. "And well restrained."

"And you seem to like stating the obvious."

A light smack to his head was the response he got. "Disobedience is not tolerated."

Edward growled, warning the man to stay away from him. He was close enough that Edward felt his private space was being violated.

The man paused and sniffed, something that looked quite weird when a human did it. His lips curled as he spoke, "You're not even a full werewolf, are you? What a shame. It looks like disobedience runs in the family."

Edward growled louder, not liking the slur to his mother. Half-werewolves were rare, because werewolves usually isolated themselves from others and stayed to their own pack, but many in Resembool had accepted the Elric family. Just his luck he was kidnapped by one that didn't.

"We won't hurt you much; you're a cub after all. Unless you want to join us and get justice for the Ishvallans?" The man had a sanctimonious tone – how could he talk about justice after having kidnapping an eleven-year-old just for revenge, Edward wouldn't know.

"You're the alpha?" He received a nod. "Well, with you as the alpha, probably never in a million lifetimes."

"Are you insinuating something about my leadership, omega?" The last word was a snarl, intended to remind Edward exactly what his position was in the hierarchy of wolves.

The boy smiled grimly. It was easy to rile the man up; insubordination was hated by most alphas, and it being from an omega only made it worse. Even if Edward wasn't a part of any pack.

"The answer is elementary, dear alpha. I wonder how dumb one can get if they can't figure that one out."

He got satisfaction from the anger that flashed on the man's face, and he got a harder smack as well.

"The only thing staying my hand is the fact that you are a child."

"But you already hit me twice – and with that very hand you told me you were 'staying'," he pointed out. "Memory problems? I do hear they get people in their old age."

"I will do far more than this if you tempt me."

"Are you bipolar or something? Because one time you say you won't do much to me because I'm a 'child'-" He tried his best to put air quotes for the word. "- and the next minute you start threatening me, saying you'll do more."

Bravado was the only mask Edward had to hide his fear. He wondered how long it would last.

* * *

 _Saturday, 13th February_

 _9:33 PM_

"Hughes, pick up the damn phone!" Roy yelled, knowing that the vampire wouldn't be able to hear him but still wanting to release his frustration.

In three rings, the phone was answered, and a soft voice spoke, "Hello, this is the Hughes residence. May I know who this is?"

He didn't even bother being polite. Gracia would forgive him this one time. "Gracia, I need to talk with Maes."

"Roy?" She continued, even without receiving an answer. "Maes is out hunting tonight."

Roy cursed himself for forgetting that fact. It may have seemed like he was overreacting to the whole situation, but it had been nearly half an hour since Edward left, and he knew the boy couldn't have gone to anybody else because Riza and Gracia would have called to inform him.

And if the boy was out alone, it was dangerous to him.

"I can take a message if you want."

"Tell him Ed ran out – he'll understand why – and hasn't come back in half an hour." He heard Gracia's gasp of surprise on the other side.

"Of course. Find him, Roy." The lady had become very fond of Edward ever since she came to see them with homemade cake, and Gracia and Edward had gotten along very well.

Roy didn't say anything, instead cutting the call and placing the phone back in its cradle.

He had his friend and his charge to find.

* * *

Edward sat in the corner of the room, superficial cuts on him. They had kept their word, all right; the other person that came after Alph-whatever-his-name-was hadn't done much. The only pain he had was a stinging in his skin, and the blood staining his clothes made it look worse than it actually was.

But the loneliness was crushing him, the silence paining his ears. He had been left alone for hours, and all of it was hurting him. Along with that, he hadn't been given food or water since he woke up, and he felt tired enough to sleep for a whole day, if only the ground wasn't so unforgiving.

Edward was glad though. He had heard tales of torture from veteran soldiers of the Ishval Civil War who passed through Resembool, and it had been scary and at times nauseating.

He had never been like this before – he had Al and his mother and Winry, and now he had Roy. He wasn't used to the silence, unless he had dived head-first into a book and lost any connections to the world around him.

He didn't know where he was and when he asked, he had only been laughed off. _"Do you really think we would tell you?"_ He hadn't. But it would have still been a comfort.

The door creaked open, and he tensed up, waiting for the next person to come in and start taunting him. But inside, he felt a bit reassured. At least for some time, there would be noise. He wouldn't be alone.

The lady from before, he thought her name was Alexa or something close, came in with a transparent container of water. He could see sympathy in her scarlet eyes, and he let himself relax minutely. She hadn't done anything to him yet.

Wait, scarlet. He hadn't actually thought about it before, but Alph had said that her brother was half-Ishvalan. That would mean her as well. Were the people of Amestris that blind to not notice her eyes? He knew how much Ishvalans were persecuted after their land was taken from them.

"You… This shouldn't have happened," she said, and the silence that had been dragging on was broken. "I am so, so sorry." He could hear the sincerity in her voice.

"How-" his voice was hoarse from not having talked in so long, and he swallowed.

The container was brought to his lips, and she slowly lifted it up, letting a trickle of water enter his mouth. He drank quickly, only now noticing how delicious water was. She dabbed at his lips with the remaining water.

Feeling much better, he continued, "How did you live here?"

She frowned, surprise crossing her face, and it took some time before she answered, "If you mean as a half-Ishvalan, Alfred helped me a lot. Whenever I went out, only at night time, he and the pack covered me. I owe a lot to them for saving me."

Alfred. Alfred was the name of that guy. His memories became a bit clearer – not Alexa, her name was Alexia, though that was just a single letter difference.

"Is revenge all they want me for?" He asked flatly, watching as Alexia crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to shrug it off, but his restraints did make it difficult.

"They have nothing against you, except the fact you willingly worked with a vampire," she said. "Please brace yourself. This will be tiring."

"What?" He asked, even as blue sparks appeared from Alexia's fingers, trailing down the arm where she had put her hand.

"To a certain degree, I have bio-manipulation," she said, bringing her left to Edward's other shoulder. More sparks followed. "I can't heal wounds, but I can dull the pain in minor ones. We don't want you hurt; Alfred's problem is with the Flame Vampire, not you."

"But you don't have one?" He asked, and didn't hear the answer as he drifted off to sleep, the tiredness finally forcing him to shut down.

* * *

Alexia watched the boy close his eyes, and though his voice wasn't that loud, she heard the words clearly. A stab of pity went through her for him; he was a child, he didn't deserve this.

But Alfred was her alpha, and she would follow him no matter what he said, even if she personally didn't agree. He had done much for her, and it would take the rest of her life for her to pay it back.

And yet, she couldn't resist thinking about the innocent blond as she walked out.

* * *

 **A/N: I am so sorry for the lateness. This week was very busy for me, and although I thought that wouldn't affect my update schedule, it did. The chapter title is based on a certain someone's name.**

 **Misc. Info for the week: Actually, every supernatural has a paranormal ability, but only when it completely manifests is it called a paranormal ability. For example, Maes has Aura Perception, the ability to sense other's emotions, but he can only sense overwhelming emotions in the people he knows well while people with the complete ability can sense everybody's emotions.**

 **Hope you liked it!**


	9. Morally Bankrupt Enemies

**A/N: The ninth chapter, everybody. I'm surprised I actually made posting this a routine, considering I'm a huge procrastinator. One thing to remember, Ed's events and Roy's events are happening at a different time – Edward is in the evening of the next day. The names of the cities are taken from the map of Amestris.**

 **And yup, Pokeperson01 – this chapter will explain why Ed can't use his paranormal ability on his shackles. Glad the plot doesn't seem rushed, since I only have the barest outlines for how each chapter should go, and everything else is on-the-spot, sadly.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Morally Bankrupt Enemies**

* * *

 _Saturday, 13_ _th_ _February,_

 _9:52 PM_

Roy raced outside, dressed casually in a blue shirt and trousers. Although the climate was still cold in February, it didn't affect him, being a vampire.

He had locked his apartment quickly and checked twice, before keeping the key in his pocket and going out. He didn't know exactly where Maes would be, but he guessed it would be outside Central.

Both Maes and he had always preferred to attack animals for blood, rather than humans as some vampires did. Though the military had established firm laws against attacking humans, many tried to subvert them and had escaped justice. This was the reason why going out at night wasn't advisable for any human in Amestris.

Nights were always free for the supernaturals, and no business dared to continue after 7 PM, unless they were run by supernaturals. It was an unsaid curfew.

It took him only minutes to reach the eastern boundaries of Central, having indulged in his superhuman speed for the feat. He usually kept it in check – he wanted to preserve at least a bit of normalcy in the hours of the sun – but now there was practically no use for it.

He had seen many vampires and werewolves on the way, some coming close to fighting him, but a snap of his fingers and brilliant flames were all it took to deter them. That is, if they didn't already move back on recognizing him.

"Maes!" He screamed, having reached one of his friend's usual haunts. Beyond Central were fields filled with animals, continuing on till Rejo, Lijza and Nefraum. The distance from Central to these cities came close to thirty kilometres, give or take, and that was the area of hunting available to them.

It was odd to see Maes as a mere blur until the vampire stopped in front of him, eyes quizzical. The two of their paths never intersected during hunting, and Roy had kept his to a minimum considering Edward would be left alone at home if he were to go out every night. He only needed to hunt once every three weeks or so.

"Roy. What the hell are you doing here?" Not the best of welcomes, but Maes knew Roy said he wasn't going out tonight.

For perhaps the first time in years, Roy fidgeted and took his time before answering in a low voice, "Edward is missing."

* * *

Maes knew Roy would tell Edward about the Rockbells. It was inevitable, and he knew Roy well – the vampire wouldn't be able to stop himself from telling it, and the guilt would eat him up if he didn't.

But Edward running away? Again, it was almost inevitable, but to be missing for an hour suggested problems for the young blond.

But he had to make sure… "Are you certain you aren't overreacting, Roy?"

"Have you heard me overreact?" Well, that was a point, Maes supposed. "I checked around the building, and Edward wasn't there. I thought he might have gone to the lieutenant or you-"

"-But he doesn't know the way," Maes interjected.

"That's it! He doesn't and I only remembered it some time ago. He's only gone to Hawkeye's apartment twice, and both those times I drove us there and I know he wasn't paying attention. And I searched around, but I'm not a werewolf, and I don't know to track him."

Maes wondered how he was able to stand so calmly as his friend ranted, stopping with a light blush. It was rare to hear Roy like this.

"So call a werewolf, Roy." He suggested as they neared Central. "If it was just a false alarm, okay. But if it wasn't, then the lieutenant's help will be invaluable."

"I just hope she doesn't shoot me for this. I should have expected Edward would do this."

"Yes, Roy, you should have. That doesn't mean he wouldn't have done it. Think about it from his position – he learns the person he's been living with for the past four months is the one who killed the parents of his best friend. Of course he would need the time to think about it clearly."

Roy could feel his composure return to him with Maes' words. He led the way to Hawkeye's apartment, thinking much clearer than he had an hour ago.

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _5:24 PM_

He didn't know the time. He knew he had slept, but he didn't know how long. It could have been thirty minutes, or perhaps hours. He didn't have a reference, and it strangely irritated him – not knowing something so simple. There was light, from the very top of the room, but it wasn't enough for him to make an accurate guess.

He had been given food, just bread, but it was uplifting to know they weren't going to try and starve him to near death. And he needed every good thing he could get, considering nearly everything else in his situation wasn't.

The door opened, and white light entered the room. Once more, he was faced with one of the pack, though he thought he remembered this one. Indolf, he guessed.

He knew he was cold, but he was numb to his own freezing skin. He felt better with Alexia's healing, something telling him he was ready to take on these jerks again. _'Confident, be confident,'_ he told himself.

Knife cuts were made precisely, and he bit back every gasp of pain that came to him. He wouldn't give them that pleasure. He could see the man with the salt-and-pepper hair in front of him didn't care for the fact he was a child; none of them did, it was simply an excuse for them so that they could feel they were somehow morally right. He could see it.

This was the second session he was going through, the first one being with Alfred, and he didn't know how he could deal with it. He knew he would try as long as he could, but he didn't know how long he would last. Another thing he wanted to know.

"Perhaps you would get off easier if you told us one of his weaknesses?" It wasn't a suggestion, though it was framed that way.

Edward glared at Indolf. "No. Perhaps you would get off easier if you just set me free? Then you wouldn't have to run around with a fire on your tail, that's for sure."

He earned a slap for that, his cheek stinging with the force, but it was well worth it. Especially noticing the gritted teeth of the man. Angering them, all of them, was the only way Edward had to show that he wasn't going to bend to their will. Not now, not ever.

Roy's weaknesses? He knew few of them, few he was sure other people didn't because the vampire's confidence was like a mask hiding all of it. An incident came to mind and he looked down at the grey floor, recollecting it.

* * *

 _"Roy, could you teach me how to cook?" He asked, twiddling his fingers. Roy paused, placing down the soapy plate he had been washing and turned around to look at him._

 _"Mine isn't just cutting it?" He could hear the teasing tone in the older man's voice._

 _He had been feeling useless. Mom had always told him to do the best he could to help others, but here, Roy cooked every day and washed the dishes, and Edward felt like he just wasn't doing his part. Roy even ate along with him, even though he was a vampire, and his excuse was that he simply wanted to keep company. Yep, Edward knew he wasn't doing his part._

 _"I just don't know how to cook anything. Even something simple." Not even tea, which Winry had once teased him about when she made it for the three of them._

 _"You're_ eleven _. I'd be surprised if you did know."_

 _Edward bristled at the mention of his age, but he didn't say anything, instead turning pleading eyes to the vampire. "Please?"_

 _Roy chuckled. "Okay. Just wait till I finish washing the dishes, will you?"_

xXx

 _Roy had taught him to prepare an omelette, letting him crack the egg and mix the ingredients by his own and only giving him suggestions. Which were just thinly-veiled instructions, but Edward still appreciated the independence he was getting._

 _"Aren't you going to 'on' the electric stove?" He asked, carrying the bowl to Roy._

 _The vampire shook his head. "Pyrokinesis saves electricity."_

 _"And money," Edward realized. "You must be saving quite a lot then. Domestic uses for flames?"_

 _"Simple economics, Edward."_

 _"But it's not like you need a lot of money, right?" Too late, Edward cursed his mouth. It was on Roy's money he was completely living, and saying those words gave a pricking feeling he couldn't explain._

 _He didn't know if the vampire had noticed his look or not, but if he did, Ed was glad it had been ignored._

 _"There have been times I needed a blood transfusion, after what Hawkeye will tell you was the result of my foolish reckless actions during team missions." The last ten words were spoken in the lieutenant's tone, and Edward snickered._

 _Roy snapped his fingers, causing a small flame to appear on the stove._

 _Ed's eyes darted between Roy and the flame, and he asked the first question that came to his mind. "Why did you snap your fingers, Roy? Shouldn't you be able to create that with you mind?" He teased. "Or is it a bit of your ego showing though and asking for style?"_

 _"I should be, but it takes quite some practice to do it with the mind. If I focus, I can, but it takes some time to reach the level of peace I need for it. It's easier to snap my fingers, a good substitute for mental focus, but it's not as strong as it could be if I did it with my mind. Not many know of that, though."_

* * *

With his hands restrained, fingers not allowed to snap, Roy would be useless. On rainy days, Roy wouldn't be able to make fire, because he was doing it physically, not mentally.

And himself. Focus was what he was missing. He remembered how he clapped his hands to use the iron in the pavement; an instinctual reaction that caused the metal to follow his command.

It was so simple, he realized. The same way Roy snapped to control fire, he had to clap his hands to control iron. Or maybe he could use some other actions to focus his ability, but clapping was all he knew now.

"You better speak fast," Indolf snarled. "I think that vampire is running around, and he won't find you unless we want him to. Till then, you are stuck here. Get that through your head."

Edward didn't even listen to it, knowing the man was just going to spew more threats. His pain again tugged at him, searing cuts that bled quickly. His eyes turned to the shackles on his hands, iron that seemed to mock him with freedom just beyond his reach.

He was sure the pack knew about the focus he needed, otherwise they wouldn't have put him somewhere where he could easily escape from. But they didn't know about Roy, that he was sure. Alfred was mocking him like the iron, mocking how useless Ed's ability was. And he didn't like it.

At all.

* * *

 **A/N: If the last part was a bit stupid, the group knows Ed can't do it – he just got his power. But they don't know about Roy, because it's been two years and Roy still needs physical focus. The torture will not be graphic, and it comes from research, so apologies if Ed's reaction to it is completely wrong. I'd appreciate to know if I'm doing it wrong.**

 **Misc. Info: Roy's situation isn't that common, mainly because of the rarity of pyrokinesis, but many pyrokinetic turned vampires have found it difficult to control their ability until they pass the second stage called nonage. Pureblood vampires are at an advantage, comparatively.**

 **And only now do I remember I made Roy eat food in two or three chapters, even though he is a vampire. Face, meet palm.**


	10. Of Plans and Remembrance

**A/N: We're on the tenth chapter! (Ten and its multiples are my only favourite even numbers) We don't see Edward in this one because Roy and the others have to catch up to his time.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Of Plans and Remembrance**

* * *

Knock. Knock.

Roy would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. It was more than likely his lieutenant had retired for the night, and the act of waking her up was not something he wanted to do. Riza could be very scary when she lost her sleep, though it was justified. She came to the office earlier than any of them, and left quite late.

Maes rang the bell again, and then gave him a knowing look. Roy immediately stopped the twitching of his fingers, and put on an emotionless face.

The door was answered, and yes – by a definitely angry Riza, and Roy could almost see the dark cloud around her.

"Yes, sir?" She managed a salute, even though all of them were out of uniform and there was no need for one. Her eyes drifted to Maes, and some of the anger was erased. Although Roy frequently disturbed Riza with phone calls at late hours, Maes would rather spend his time with his precious wife and daughter than try to irritate a gun-wielding werewolf. He had the kind of self-preservation instincts that Roy could only dream of having.

Maes took over, seeing that Roy didn't know how to frame the words. It was simple enough, but Roy would be sure to ramble instead of saying it the way it was. "Edward is missing."

To her credit, Riza did not let her surprise show or take more than a few seconds to understand what was told to her, considering she had just woken up. "How?"

"He ran away."

"Why?" Short questions, but exactly to the point. Riza was trying to gain as much information about the situation as possible, and Maes' short three-word answers weren't helping.

Roy spoke up, "He learnt; I told him I was the one who killed the Rockbells. The parents of his best friend."

Riza shook her head. "No offense, sir, but please tell me you didn't just dump it on his head without any prior explanation."

"I did explain-"

"From what you told me, Roy, you only told him the background and not the reason why you had to," Maes helpfully interjected. "You didn't tell him you would have been court-martialled or killed for not following orders."

"That's only an excuse, Maes. I simply killed two people – doctors who were saving the lives of people, may I add – to save my own skin. And what do I do after that? I continue to kill more people."

Maes was going to argue, when Riza interrupted, "Gentlemen, we can discuss on this after we find Edward, who is lost and all alone in the dangerous streets of Central at night-time. However, sir, if I may say, we had no choice in what we all did and the blame lies with the superiors who ordered the war. We were just their tools for this." Saying this, she turned and vanished into the darkness of her apartment to change her clothes.

Although finding Edward was important, she couldn't simply walk around in her nightclothes. She had to look at least partway presentable. And she also had to wake up her dog; they would need Black Hayate.

* * *

"Hayate, track!" Riza commanded as Roy handed over one of Edward's clothes to the dog. The dog sniffed, before following the command given to him and bounding out of the apartment. He was closely followed by his master and the other two supernaturals.

It was easy to keep up with the running dog, although Black Hayate would stop quite often to sniff and make sure he was on the right trail. Soon enough, they were at an alleyway. Hayate stopped, turning to his master and wagging his tail.

Roy's eyes narrowed as he noticed traces of blood in the area. Worry was his first emotion, which was quickly overwhelmed with anger. If the werewolf was hurt, it would not bode well for whoever took him.

"Continue, Hayate," Riza said, but the Shiba Inu seemed confused. "It seems Edward has been kidnapped, sir, and by more than just one if Hayate can't get Edward's scent that clearly."

"Can't we just track all the scents? They must have all gone in one direction."

"Roy, there will be a world of problems if we don't think this out clearly," Maes said. "First of all, if the kidnappers are more than we can handle, it wouldn't do any good for Edward. Second, the military will undoubtedly turn suspicious if we were to attack this unknown group and retrieve Edward. They would want to know how we knew Edward was there."

"And what do you suggest, Maes? We can't sit and do nothing. He could be hurting every second we waste!"

"Since the missing case for Edward is still going on, we – or at least, I – have to report to Captain Keith with the information we have now. Then, with his permission and military approval, we find Edward. We can also take along your unit for more man, and woman-," Maes added, glancing at Riza. "-power."

"We'll have to wait till tomorrow for that. And since this is the military, we would have to wait till afternoon for the approval. The trail could go cold by then," Roy argued. He was all for finding Edward the very moment and bringing him back.

"Sir," Riza said calmly. Both Maes and Riza were remaining calm for Roy's sake, though they wanted to find the werewolf. But it was easier for them; they didn't know Edward like Roy did and thus didn't feel the same desperation he did, no matter how callous it sounded. "The Major's plan is the best we have. If we barge in without thought, we would only endanger Edward more. And as Edward has been kidnapped, rather than outright killed or left here wounded, it would be somebody with a grudge against you."

"That's not going on much," Roy said wryly. "I can make a whole book with the number of people who have a grudge against me."

* * *

The night she had seen the boy, the nightmare of two years past had returned with a vengeance. She had startled awake in the night, images of her fallen sisters and brothers flashing in her mind.

Would the vampire, the Hero of Ishval, feel the same way they did when he saw the boy hurt? Would inflicting pain on the two, the vampire and the werewolf, ease their own pain? Was it right to take revenge by harming somebody unrelated to all of this?

She wished she had the answers, but nothing was ever black and white.

xXx

 _Womiob was one of the few towns close to Ishval. It was also one of the towns that Ishvalan supernaturals had decided to flee to. Already populated by other supernaturals, helping hands were lent and Womiob was far away from Ishval enough for the civil war to not affect any of them._

 _Affect as in 'not right in the town', though the shocks were felt well enough by them. Less exports and imports, frequent sightings of soldiers and distant sounds of war all followed, but it was better than being in the thick of it all._

 _Packs formed among the werewolves, and Alexia found herself lucky enough to be part of one through her elder brother, who had struck up a strong friendship with the neighbourhood boys, Alfred and Indolf, and their three friends. Though they were Amestrians, they were still moral people who couldn't condone the death of the red-eyed people over something that was the fault of the soldiers._

 _She had found her own friend amongst Ruth, Indolf's twin sister. They had all supported each other, and Gilbert and Alexia were frequent visitors to Alfred's house, where all eight of the pack met twice a week._

 _They should have expected it, but they didn't._

 _Gilbert was only nineteen, and Alexia was one year younger._

 _A look outside to see the chaos and mayhem, and a knock at the door to warn them the same would happen to them as well. That was all they got._

" _Go!" Gilbert said harshly. Seeing his younger sister's hesitance, he added. "Now, Alexia!"_

" _I can't leave you here!"_

" _And if both of us try to escape, they'll just hunt us down. Alexia, you have to leave!" There was such urgency in her usually-laidback brother that Alexia found it hard to argue. "Please, Alexia."_

" _Open the door, Ishvalan. Failure to comply will only lead to forceful opening and your death." And listening to them would result in their deaths either way. Her brother turned around, and it was final._

 _To her eternal shame, she fled through the window. She heard her brother's faint "I love you, sister." But the last words of her brother that she heard were "Hello, Amestrian soldiers." Followed by a gunshot._

 _She didn't have the courage to look back._

xXx

 _They had all grouped together, except for two. Gilbert had died, and Indolf told her gruffly that Ruth had as well. Six out of eight._

 _She had been constantly assured she had done the right thing, the five men of the pack trying to erase the notion she should have stayed back. She was the youngest of them all, and they all fiercely took care of them, as if to compensate for Gilbert. She sometimes felt suppressed under all the care, but she understood._

 _It was the reassurance that though they may have failed to help others, they were taking care of their own. That they were all still alive._

 _Going back to Ishval was a death sentence, and going to Central seemed the same, unless they understood how much of the city was a near-maze, impossible to navigate even for those born and brought up there. It was the perfect choice, though it seemed as if they were jumping into the lion's den._

xXx

She wondered when the moral people she had known had changed. But for this, she had the answer.

Grief always changed people, for the better or the worse.

* * *

 **A/N: Currently listening to Bad Apple from Touhou Project, the English cover by JubyPhonic. Listen to it, it's amazing!**

 **Womiob is actually the name of a town. The fallen sisters and brothers - Ishvalans think of everybody as family. And I like writing Alexia. She's one of the only OCs I've written for this long.**

 **Instead of miscellaneous information for this one (though Roy's answer is just that), I have something else for the tenth chapter. Ed's thoughts on Roy, and some fluff, before our shrimp gets kidnapped!**

* * *

It had been only four months. Four months and he had grown so close with Roy.

It wasn't that surprising in retrospect. Here he was allowed to explore his curiosity unlike in Resembool, where it just wasn't feasible. And his teachers had never liked all the questions he kept firing. Though they had happily answered in the beginning, as time went by and he continued to ask dozens of questions, they had gotten tired.

Roy wasn't like that. Whenever he had a doubt and the vampire was free, he only had to ask to gain all the answers he wanted and more. They also had lots of conversations, from the simple and inane to social issues. It was fun to expand his knowledge, and the books Roy recommended him to read did just that.

It was on this base of knowledge, of questions and answers, that their friendship built. Sometimes beyond simple friendship, Edward felt. The moments when Roy told him to eat his food and stopped him from damaging his eyes by reading too much felt like home, like Resembool, so much that it hurt. It was simple, but it was filled with memories that opened at the slightest reminder.

And it was a grief that Roy single-handedly stopped one night in December. No, not stopped, but made it easier to handle. One conversation had eased it, and four months was enough time for the burning cold to settle.

He wondered how his mother and Al would think about all of it. Would they be happy he was safe or would they be angry he was friends with a vampire? He liked to think it would be the former.

"The werewolves and vampires were known as the 'Children of the Night', according to the Ishvalan legends retrieved by the military. And like all siblings, they fought, although their fights were more than just sibling rivalry. It is believed werewolves accept the animal side of humans, accept the nature they come from, while vampires attempt to take away the sins of humans by ascending into something greater, something immortal. Both sides are right, one accepts while the other tries to change their very nature. This causes conflicts, of course..."

He listened to Roy's answer for his question about vampires and werewolves as he moved closer and took a look at the book Roy was holding. The warm atmosphere of the library and Roy's smooth, deep voice slowly lulled him to sleep, his head on the vampire's shoulder.

He woke up next morning on the couch in the library with a thick blanket over him and a pillow under his head.

* * *

 **And that's that! Hope you liked it!**

 ***Edit: Changed 'latter' to 'former'. Thank you, DarkFlameFantasy!***


	11. Protocol is a Pain

**A/N: We're slowly getting closer to that reunion. Anyway, here's the eleventh chapter! Just another warning, I have no idea about military protocol for kidnapping, so what I'm portraying is a half-truth from what I've read. And Eriva is a made-up places, because the map doesn't contain any places in Ishval.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Protocol is a Pain**

* * *

It was an agonizing wait till morning for Roy, unable to sleep and unable to take his mind away from Edward even as he tried to immerse himself in the books he was reading. Riza was asleep at her apartment, and Maes had gone back to his house, the night's hunting over for him.

Roy felt the loneliness pierce him. Four months back, this was simply a routine, but with Edward in his life, loneliness had turned unbearable. He had put himself in the werewolf's room, even though there was no one he needed to look after and protect from nightmares that night. It was just habit.

He skimmed through words, not feeling that inclined to read when his charge was kidnapped and hurt. But there was nothing he could do. Without Black Hayate or a pureblood werewolf, there was no way he could hunt down Edward by himself. And both Riza and Maes weren't going to let him do what he wanted. Well, their fear – for the kidnappers – was justified, considering he would not hesitate to burn them into ashes and watch it float away in the wind if something had happened to Edward.

God, he was so dependent on Edward that it wasn't even funny. But he liked to think of it as equivalent. They both got something out of the other, company being the main one. Company that he sorely missed now.

He eagerly waited for the sun to rise and five o'clock to come ticking, so that Maes could report to his superior and they could start searching for Edward, but there were still many an hour left. Even though it didn't feel right, he continued reading.

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _7:01 AM_

"Sir!" Maes saluted, and his captain gave him a look over before returning it.

"What is the matter, Major?" Keith Cromwell asked, his brown eyes narrowed at his subordinate. Keith was a werewolf with Aura Perception, one of the most common abilities, and he could faintly sense other people's emotions. And right now, he got the faintest touch of worry and hurry from Maes Hughes.

"Sir, I have a lead on the missing case of Edward Elric. It seems he has been kidnapped by an unknown number of people, and was wounded when it happened."

"Oh? How did you find that out?"

Maes had planned for every possible question, and he answered accordingly. "A part of the clothes he was wearing the day he ran away was found at the site, along with some blood." Well, Roy did have the clothes and he had called up the vampire to create that evidence and keep it free from his fingerprints.

"You stumbled upon the site?" The Lieutenant Colonel asked, regarding him with a bit more interest now. The case had been filed two days ago, and to get a lead on it so soon was like a miracle. Although discreet investigations had been conducted by some of his unit around Central, it was impossible to find a child matching the given descriptions. Then a new case with military relations had come, and this case was shoved backwards in priority, though still dedicatedly worked on.

"I heard a commotion, but upon reaching the place, it was already over and the signs of a fight were the only thing left. Sir, don't we need to-?"

"I know what we need to do, Major, but as you know, right now we are working on a higher-priority case and it is difficult to spare anybody," Cromwell said, thinking for a few moments.

"Sir, if that is the case, I could work with Lieutenant Colonel Mustang and his team to track down the kidnappers. A supernatural child is in grave danger, sir," Maes said.

"Better to have supernaturals work on it, hmm?" Cromwell mused. "Then, you can have Second Lieutenants Freccia and Nashorn to aid you, but it will be pending approval till the evening by my calculation." Cromwell knew Mustang by acquaintance, and he knew about the strong friendship between his major and the lieutenant colonel. It wasn't necessary, but if the team working on a mission were friendly with each other, it was far easier to solve cases.

Maes sighed. "Sir, can't we make it quicker?"

"If it was an ordinary missing case, yes, but considering you talked about kidnapping, we'll need permission before arresting them, if that was indeed what happened," the Lieutenant Colonel's pen flowed smoothly on paper as he made a request to be sent. "Rest assured, I will inform the lieutenants and call you when we get the signature."

He knew there was nothing else he could do. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

Roy was incensed. No, incensed was less than what he felt right now. He tried not to slam the phone, knowing it wasn't his friend's fault that they would have to wait till evening. _Evening_. Oh god, Edward would be in _their_ hands for a whole day by then, and who knew what could happen?

But he was glad Maes had managed to get him assigned to the case. But even if his friend hadn't, he would have found a way to go.

He had informed his unit on events he probably should have informed them about before, but they took it in stride. They knew it wasn't due to a lack of trust that Roy hadn't told them about Edward, but just because it hadn't been necessary. And they were fully understanding of the bad mood he was in, going so far as to make sure he wouldn't do anything he would regret later.

Roy wondered what he had done in his last life to deserve five such wonderful soldiers. But he supposed what he had done in this life would be enough to negate any future benefits.

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _6:01 PM_

"Let's do something else, if you please." Edward glared. He was certainly not feeling like doing anything, least of all with this smiling child-torturing kidnapper. He felt like he would break down any second, but he couldn't. He wouldn't give them that satisfaction, and he knew Roy would find him in time. He just had to last until then.

"What? Like indulging in your immoral attacks on innocents?"

"You would be better telling that to the vampire you support, _omega_." This one, Indolf, wasn't an alpha – Alfred had taken that position – but he was second-in-command, and that was enough for him to pull authority. Edward distantly wondered what Alexia was.

"At least he doesn't harm children."

He did not expect a laugh in response. "You honestly believe that? Then why not have a good story time now, hmm? I'll tell you the story of Eriva and Womiob, and you can decide from there."

"What and what?" Edward recognized Womiob, as that and Resembool were the places closest to Ishval. But 'Eriva' was a mystery to him.

"Eriva was a village in Ishval. Notice that 'was'? That's because it was burnt down in one day, and it was only luck that some escaped unscathed from the burning flames."

"Of course flames burn. What do you expect from them?" Ouch, that was a strong slap.

"Shut up and listen. I'm doing you a favour, omega." Edward wisely kept back the retort on his tongue. He really did want to hear exactly what was making this guy do all of this, and this was his one chance. "Parents, relatives, many were lost and those who escaped considered it a miracle. Those who didn't were burnt beyond recognition, not even given a proper burial after having been brutally killed off."

It painted a gruesome picture in Edward's mind, a picture he knew had once happened from the horror stories he had heard in Resembool. Bullets and flames were the prevalent ones, and the result was always death, unneeded horrifying deaths.

"And the one who did all of this was hailed as a hero. For killing men and women and children with no remorse, he was _hailed_. He used his flames every place he went and tales of destruction followed his wake. He fought and killed to no end mercilessly, and he was named a _hero_ for it."

Edward felt Indolf was repeating a bit too much, but it was effective in sending a shiver up his spine. A quote one of the soldiers had told him came to mind, and he repeated it. "The soldier above everyone else prays for peace, for he is the one who must suffer the deepest scars of war." Or something like that.

"You think so? The Amestrians enjoyed killing the Ishvalans, watching them beg for mercy before they died. One simply had to touch people to get them to die a horrible death, and another burnt his way through the resisting people. It was not, by any way, _fair_."

"But coming back to what I was telling you, this hero was Roy Mustang, the Flame Vampire. One of the titles he gained after the massacre was the "Hero of Ishval". As if! And the survivors – they went to Womiob, only for the cycle to repeat once again. Ishvalans were killed once again, fire set on their homes, and the Amestrian soldiers did all of it without flinching."

"You're speaking as if you aren't an Amestrian."

"I am not senseless enough-" ( _'Hah,'_ Edward laughed at the irony) "-to blame all Amestrians, but the soldiers carried out their orders without a hint of remorse. You've heard of Gilbert, Alexia's brother. You see how kind she is, and her brother was quite the same, but he was shot for no reason other than being half-Ishvalan. Do you honestly feel that to be right?"

"And the "Hero of Ishval", he had only been on the battlefield near the end of the war, and yet he was the one who killed the most innocents. I wonder how he sleeps at night with the blood- oh, wait, he can't sleep."

"And why's that, you jerk? It's because he was turned into a supernatural unwilling. And who did that? The Ishvalans themselves, right?" Edward said, feeling something in his stomach twist.

He knew something horrible was going to follow. But he couldn't trust them. He couldn't trust _any_ of them. No matter what they told him about Roy, they were only doing it so that they could turn him against his saviour. No, he would not believe any of what they said, or any of the pictures Indolf painted with his words.

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _5:45 PM_

The door was opened cautiously, and a head peeked into his room. "I can't be here. I shouldn't be here. But I need to tell you something."

* * *

 **A/N: Woah, and that's a wrap! It was kinda fun to write (oh gods, I'm** _ **horrible**_ **,** **but it really was). No editing done, so there can be lots of mistakes that I'll correct later. One more thing: if anybody has any doubts, ranging from simple stuff (Like what Riza's ability is -Superhuman Agility/Reflexes, FYI) to plot-concerning stuff I may have overlooked, feel completely free to ask. I'd love to build up this world more.**

 **So the miscellaneous info for the week is taken from a file I made for the supernatural species: "As the blood vampires drink is stored in their body and used to provide them with energy, losing it will cause them to die, unless they are given blood in the moments that follow." Basically, vampires can die from heavy bleeding.**


	12. What Matters Most

**A/N: And the awaited (I hope…) twelfth chapter is here. I was studying science today, as well as correcting errors in the previous chapters, so apologies for the lateness in the update.**

 **A big thank you to everybody who reviewed, followed and fav'd, and of course, to everybody reading this! I never expected to write this much, but here we are! One thing to note: when I say "superhuman power", I don't mean the paranormal abilities but stuff like vampires and werewolves being faster and stronger, even if a werewolf is not transformed.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: What Matters Most**

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _7:54 PM_

It was due to luck that the kidnapping hadn't been planned, and therefore, the kidnappers hadn't thought ahead to cover their tracks. Roy was glad not allowing Edward to go outside had worked alright for something, at least. If Edward had been seen before this incident, and the kidnappers had time to plan, then they wouldn't be finding the werewolf so easily.

Maes had come along with two lieutenants from Cromwell's unit, and they had also brought a literal military dog along with them. For some reason, Riza had also brought along her dog, as if Buster wasn't enough.

The five of them – Riza, Maes, Havoc, Lieutenant Freccia and him – along with the dogs, were travelling in a car to the area. It would take about ten minutes by car for them to reach there.

Not all of them could leave for a simple retrieval mission, and so, Falman and Breda were tasked to taking care of the other works in the office until they all returned. Fuery and Nashorn were left at the military for technical support, and to call for backup in case even the five of them weren't enough (which was very unlikely, considering all of them were trained supernaturals, and they knew how to fully use their superhuman powers to their advantage).

"Sir?"

He looked left at his lieutenant, who was instead staring straight ahead as she drove the car. "Yes, Hawkeye?" Maes and Havoc stopped their conversation (read: Maes talking about how wonderful his two angels were while showing picture after picture to Havoc) and looked at the two people in the front seats. Lieutenant Freccia glanced at them and kept silent.

"Black Hayate would be more suited to finding the trail than Buster, especially if it has been erased after a day."

"But even if it was, Black Hayate only led us to the scene, didn't he? How would he be able to lead us fur- Oh." A literal bulb glowed in Roy's head as he understood what his lieutenant had done. "You let him track it till their positions today… morning?" Riza gave a slight nod, not saying anything. "Lieutenant, I- I don't have words."

Vanessa Freccia's eyes narrowed at how attached the lieutenant colonel seemed to this mission, even though Mustang shouldn't be knowing about the child at all but she decided it wasn't in her place to question it. What mattered was that Edward Elric was found and handed to his caretakers.

"You don't need them," Maes said, seeing the sliver of a smile on Riza's face despite the serious situation. It wasn't often that Roy was like this, and yet it was happening a lot more often nowadays.

Riza slowed down the car as they reached the street, and finally stopped after some time. The passengers got out. Black Hayate and Buster were silent, waiting for their orders.

"Time to find your pup," Maes cheerfully said in a low tone, such that only Roy could hear his words, and Roy sighed, not bothering to argue. There wasn't any use.

Plus, they had bigger things to do right now than argue.

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _8:41 PM_

Black Hayate had led them this far, when Buster could only take them a few metres away before he was confused. The dog was quick, and they had followed him on foot, not knowing whether they would be able to drive till there.

Lieutenant Freccia was silent, though Maes didn't seem overtly bothered.

They had finally reached an area filled with old, dilapidated buildings by the edge of Central. This area was taken over by supernaturals, and the military left them to themselves unless anything happened. Werewolves would form packs and take certain places for themselves, and vampires would get into quite a lot of battles.

Few supernaturals caught sight of them, but knowing they weren't human and seeing their numbers, the military personnel were given a wide berth. Threatening looks were sent their way however, and though the atmosphere was hostile, the supernaturals wouldn't dare attack those from the military.

After a quick walk, they came to a small house, and Black Hayate went around it, stopping just before an even smaller building, with a high roof and the size of a normal room.

They positioned themselves in front of the door, and although Roy thought it unneeded, he couldn't help but start the count. "On three. One, two-!"

At two, the door was kicked open.

The weak wooden door had completely given way under Roy's cathartic kick – he was able to vent the frustration that had started the last night in some way, at least – and the five officials entered, guns already out from their holsters.

The six people inside turned to look at them, but Roy's eyes were only for Edward.

The boy who looked absolutely beaten up, the fire usually in his eyes dimmed to embers. To compensate for that, Roy's own fire began flaring higher, like a wildfire out of control.

He let his cool mask cover any sign of his rage ( _Edward was just a child, not one to have to go through all of this; the blood soaked on his shirt, tiredness in his every fibre, and yet he looked defiant_ ). "What do you think you are doing?"

One of them, a blond, spoke up. "We don't think we're doing anything, vampire."

"Then what are you doing?" Maes questioned, his voice calm, though with a glance Roy could see Maes was incensed. Maes did not take well to hurting children, and even before Ishval and the birth of Elicia, he had viewed harming children as something despicable. The mentioned events only made that belief rise.

There was a silence. "This is between us and the Flame Vampire, soldiers. Stay back." The man moved into an offensive position, and though the others followed, Roy noticed the only lady in the group was a bit hesitant.

"Since this is our chief you're talking about, it's between all of us," Havoc commented, gun pointed at them.

"We also have a nice, signed paper from the higher-ups giving us permission to arrest you, so comply for your own sakes," Vanessa added, her voice warning at the last words.

Roy's eyes wandered to Edward again. The boy was looking straight at him, eyes filled with relief. It was wrong. It was just wrong that all of them had to be here, facing six werewolves while a boy had been under their _care_ for a whole day. _'It seems far more than just a day.'_

Right now, Roy couldn't care less about waiting for their opponent to make the first move. He snapped, just as one of them turned into a brown wolf and bounded at him. Thin tongues of flame came into being, swirling around each of the five untransformed werewolves like a cage. The wolf leaped on his chest just as he finished, knocking him to the floor and scratching at him with its claws, and in that moment, a shot rang through the air.

The wolf was knocked back, hissing at the bullet wound at its shoulder, and Riza Hawkeye looked coldly at it. Very light smoke trailed from the end of her gun.

"If you attack again, I will be forced to shoot you dead," she said, not lowering her gun. Roy stood up, thankful the distraction had only caused the flames he created to flicker a little. The soldiers looked at him with concern, but he brushed it off. It was close, but the wound wasn't that deep nor that painful, somewhat blocked by the thick cloth he wore.

Lieutenant Freccia walked forward, hitting the wolf with the butt of her gun and rendering it unconscious. She then took out a collar and two cuffs to tie the paws together, items used by the military to apprehend transformed werewolves, and made sure the wolf was properly restrained.

Maes discreetly nudged Roy and whispered, "We'll take care of stuff from here, Roy. You go to Edward, call Fuery and ask him to bring the car and by god, take Edward to the hospital."

Roy looked over the group. Excluding Maes who had come for Investigations, the highest in rank, after himself, was Riza. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, as I will be taking Edward Elric to the hospital, you are in command of the team until I am back."

"Yes, sir!" He returned the salute he received and walked briskly over to Edward, uncaring of the looks sent his way by both friend and foe.

He crouched down in front of the boy, looking over him. Before, when they had entered, Roy had only gotten glimpses as the six werewolves were blocking the way. But now, he could see what had happened to Edward fully.

Though Edward wasn't as bad as many Roy had seen throughout his career, it was not relieving. Edward was a child, no matter what the boy said. He shouldn't have to go through this at all.

He eyed the shackles and gently lifted one of Edward's hands, noticing that he did not feel the warmth he usually did. As to be expected, he supposed. He inspected the iron chain that connected the shackles to the wall. Edward understood his intentions and gave a nod, wincing as he moved to his left to make it easier.

Roy snapped his fingers, focusing the fire on the chains and increasing its strength with his emotions while still keeping it contained. In six silent minutes, the part of the chain nearest to the wall had melted, and without further ado, Edward clapped his hands together, breaking the circles of iron around his hands. The iron fell into his lap, and Roy took some time to register what had happened. Edward had ferrokinesis. He was a Paranormal.

But that didn't matter right now.

He lifted Edward upright, seeing that the boy seemed too tired to do it himself, and wrapped his arms around Edward. The werewolf tensed, before he lifted a hand to tightly grip Roy's blue military cloth, feeling his mask slowly break. Everything that he had staunchly ignored in the past sixteen hours came back to him, and though it had been a relatively short ordeal, it was still harrowing for the eleven-year-old.

"You came," he whispered, his voice hoarse from not having been used in the past three hours.

Roy tightened his embrace, trying not to further aggravate Edward's injuries. He crushed his own guilt; it didn't matter at the moment. "Did you even doubt it?"

What mattered most was that Edward was safe now.

* * *

 **A/N: That was tough. I knew how I wanted it to go, but getting it till that point was tough. I don't feel completely satisfied with this chapter, but it's a paving way and I'm late for my usual posting by twelve hours. Misc. Info: Amestris has specific laws set for supernaturals, and these are enforced by the supernatural police force. These laws were passed barely weeks after the Ishval Civil War, and are constantly being revised as supernaturals settle better in the country.**


	13. Equanimity

**A/N: Well, the conflict's not completely over. We still have one more thing to deal with, and that requires a good, long discussion between Ed and Roy. Merry Christmas, everybody! And with these words, I present Chapter 13!**

 **Note: The explanation for the radio communication between Roy and Fuery will be explained at the end of the chapter. I'm sorry if I got anything wrong; I learnt by checking stuff online, like always. And BTW, I know modern cars don't exist at that time, but give me this slight liberty, please?**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Equanimity**

* * *

Edward refused to let a single sound of pain escape his lips, even though the simple contact with Roy made all of his wounds flare up. The harsh kick Indolf had delivered to his ribs made them throb dully, and overall, Edward felt about as fine as he looked, which was none.

He felt tired, just a weariness he couldn't began to explain, along with numb coldness and a pins-and-needles feeling in his legs. He gratefully let Roy lift him up, and leaned his whole weight on the vampire as weakness surged through him. His focus was on keeping his composure. It wouldn't do break down now, to give his kidnappers the satisfaction that they had done something to him when he had acted as if they hadn't.

Oh god, he was pathetic. There was no other word that fit so well. He had heard tales of veteran soldiers who had held their own even when tortured by the enemy, and compared to that, what he had gone through was only a paper cut. He had no right to feel like this, a strange mix of fear and anger and pain.

But he _wasn't_ a veteran soldier; as much as he hated to admit it, he was an eleven-year-old boy who had been terrified out of his mind. His knowledge that they wouldn't kill him or hurt him too much was the only thing that had protected him and given him courage, along with the fact he knew Roy would come. The only thing he had to do was to wait till then.

He liked to think he had done that remarkably well.

He tried to make his legs cooperate past the feeling in them, not daring to look up at Roy. It was odd; he trusted the vampire, but Indolf's increasingly gory tales had made an impact on him. He wondered if they were true, because while Indolf was a biased narrator, there must have been some reason the pack didn't like Roy. People – sane people – didn't hate others over nothing.

But no matter how exaggerated the stories, they had happened, at one level or the other. Murder was murder, unless it was for self-defense. He looked at Maes, who gave him a reassuring smile, despite the cold glint in his eyes as he turned his focus back to the caged werewolves. It was impossible to think the goofy major had fought in the war, but seeing him now removed all doubts.

War did change people.

A shiver went up his spine and a cold feeling settled in the bottom of his heart as he thought about Roy. It wasn't only Ishvalans that Roy had killed – he had also killed the Rockbell doctors. Though it sounded morally wrong, Edward felt like he cared about that one murder more than any other, if only because he had seen and experienced the aftereffects. But that did not mean he wasn't disgusted by the senseless killings, only that the Rockbells' deaths had affected him far more.

Edward couldn't reconcile the image of a murderer with that of the friendly yet sometimes jerk Paranormal he had known. It didn't seem possible. But perhaps...

Just one day was changing all his perceptions, and he struggled to comprehend and organize them.

* * *

Roy noticed that Edward was deeply contemplating something, and chose not to speak and break the tranquility around the werewolf, even if there was a quite a lot he wanted to ask.

As they walked past the soldiers, they could all see the wounds inflicted on the kidnapped child. The tense atmosphere in the small building suddenly increased to epic proportions.

Roy stopped at the exit, turning his head so that his dark eyes met with each of the military supernaturals. His eyes then focused on the six werewolves, and his anger was clearly visible. Right now, he wasn't a distraught man, he was a lieutenant colonel of the military, and it showed as he restrained himself from burning all of them to their deaths.

All it would take was one snap, one _slip of his fingers_ as it were, but he wasn't allowed to deal out justice like he wished. Justice was for the law to give, and though he was in the military, he was only a harbinger of that justice.

No matter what, hurting an innocent – a child – was a crime worthy of the greatest punishment. Roy felt like a hypocrite as the thought passed through his mind, but he hadn't done that willingly, had he? It was _'do or die'_ and like many others, he had chosen _'do'_ over the permanent _'die'_. He glanced down at Edward, who was slumped against him. Roy had quite a lot of explaining to do, but he didn't know how Edward would take it.

His voice was rich with authority as he murmured, "Give them the darkest levels of hell possible within the military laws." He walked outside, not looking back, knowing the soldiers wouldn't have any problems complying with his order. Not now, perhaps, but there certainly were chances for them.

The four soldiers looked at their prisoners, and Riza asked in an even, no-nonsense tone, "Do you have a defense for what you have done?"

* * *

Roy walked a long distance, until he had reached back where they had started: the entrance to the city of supernaturals in Central. Once again, the supernaturals had avoided them, though Roy had to glare at some of them who had sensed weakness and showcase his pyrokinesis for that.

"Edward?" The boy looked up for a second, before going back to staring at the ground. Roy wished he knew what was going through Edward's mind. "I'm going to communicate to headquarters through radio, so don't say anything now." He received a small nod.

He took out his radio, pressing the transmit key. He then spoke audibly, "Echo Nine Foxtrot, Echo Nine Foxtrot. This is Oscar Five Mike. How do you copy? Over."

He got the response from Fuery, ever efficient, in seconds. "This is Echo Nine Foxtrot. Read you LC. How me, over?"

"Four by five. 10-10 me to the hospital, over." It was better to speak short sentences into the radio, and the recommended time was three seconds for various reasons.

"Alone, sir? Your location, over?"

"With Edward. 10-15 the haven at the edge of Central, over."

He noticed Edward was listening intently, most likely trying to understand what was being said. He would have to teach him military communication later on, if only to satisfy his craving for knowledge. It had been a breath of fresh air for him throughout the four months to see Edward so innocently curious over everything.

"Wilco. Emergency? Over." He could hear the worry in his Sergeant Major's voice as he asked.

"No. Mustang, out." He ended the transmission and put down the radio.

* * *

The fire cages around the werewolves had vanished after some time, due to Roy being far away and having completely dropped his concentration on the cages. The werewolves rushed forward, transforming and attacking them, except the lady who stood unsurely.

Riza calmly shot one of them before they could get to her, and Maes threw one of his throwing knives accurately. The remaining two pounced on Freccia and Havoc, both of who had been a bit slow in getting out their guns and shooting.

Freccia somehow managed to get the wolf off her, finding enough time to take out her gun and fire. Claw wounds littered her uniform, but any wound she had gained was superficial. Maes and Riza had together shot the last wolf and Havoc stood up.

The only standing kidnapper was shocked, eyes wide and looking as if she wanted to reach over and help her pack. Freccia sent her a cold look, "Do that and I assure you'll be left like the rest of them. Now raise your hands in front of you and comply."

Hesitatingly, she did as ordered. While the other three officers bound the wolves like Alfred, Freccia took out handcuffs and tied the lady's hands together.

Now they only needed to call at headquarters to take their prisoners to jail.

* * *

They waited in silence for ten or so minutes before a car came by and the window lowered, showing Fuery. Roy opened the backseat door and entered, still holding Edward.

"Nashorn is waiting for transmissions at the military, sir," Fuery started the moment he had gotten in. "How are the others?"

"They are apprehending the kidnappers. So far, good enough. We need to take Edward to the hospital."

There was surprise on Fuery's face when he looked at Edward through the rear-view mirror. He nodded, and without further words, drove away towards the Iatria Central Hospital.

Roy moved Edward onto the seat, but paused when he felt the werewolf's grip on his military shirt tighten. "Edward?" His voice was low as he asked, feeling a bit of worry spark inside him.

There was a pause, and then Edward burst out crying, burying his head in Roy's shoulder. Muffled sobs filled the car.

Roy only sat in surprise for a few seconds, before his instincts took over logical reasoning. He placed Edward on his lap and wrapped his arms a bit tighter around the crying child, not saying anything. What Edward needed now wasn't comforting ( _false_ ) words; it was simply a chance to cry.

Roy tuned out everything else and rocked back and forth, waiting until Edward's loud sobs had turned into silent tears. "Sleep, Edward," he said softly, adjusting him so that the werewolf was in a more comfortable position.

* * *

Edward felt exhaustion creep on him as he sat there, tear tracks on his face and eyes red. Sleep could get him away from all of this, and the pain wouldn't register if he was asleep. Roy's words were tantalizing to follow.

"Sleep." He felt fingers card through his hair, messy and loose from the braid he had the night before.

"Don't leave," he whispered back, closing his eyes and giving in to the temptation of rest. Within seconds, he fell asleep, breathes even and deep.

He didn't feel Roy's arms tighten around him, nor did he hear the vampire's low voice as he assured, "I'm not leaving anywhere."

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, now that's done! I was looking forward to writing the last scene, if only for a bit of Parental-ness. Misc. Info: There are three stages for vampires to go through: newborn, nonage and adulthood. Newborn averages at two weeks, and the vampire finds it difficult to control themselves, which is dangerous considering the increased strength in this stage.**

 _ **The explanation for the radio transmission:**_

 **"How do you copy?" – In case of some interference or just to confirm how your message was received, you may need to ask about the reception.**

 **"Read you LC (pronounced Lima Charlie)." – This means everything is good and they can hear you loud and clear.**

 **"How me, over?" – This means they want to know how you can read them, whether it is loud and clear as well.**

 **"Four by five." – Good and readable. This is a level of strength/understandability of radio transmission (signal-to-noise ratio).**

 **Echo Nine Foxtrot and Oscar Five Mike – These are the military codes for officers, known as sign names. E or Echo stands for enlisted personnel, while nine is the rank (Sergeant Major). Foxtrot is the code for the first letter of Kain Fuery's last name (F). O or Oscar stands for officers, five is the rank (Lieutenant Colonel) and Mike is the code for M (Roy's last name).**

 **10-15 and 10-10 – 10-15 means "Go to…" while 10-10 means "Transport/Escort".**

 **Wilco – It's short for Will Comply, which is used when an action is asked for by the caller.**

 **Over and Out – Both of them are different. Over means "done, awaiting response" while Out means "done, conversation is over".**


	14. A Hospital in Time

**A/N: I have no idea about hospital procedure for such cases (the most I had gone to a hospital for was a small surgery, and I wasn't unconscious at that time) and so I just skimmed over them. Can anybody provide extra info, or inform me if I'm wrong?**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: A Hospital in Time (Saves Edward from a Lot of Pain)**

* * *

Roy raised his head and leaned back on the car seat, letting his grip on Edward loosen. He stared straight ahead, letting his unreadable mask fall into place again. It was easier to stay calm when he wasn't worrying over a kid who had managed to worm his way into Roy's heart, but Roy supposed he had always had a weakness for children. He had never been able to refuse Elicia, after all.

Fuery gave him an uncertain look through the mirror, and he gave a small smile, wordlessly assuring him that everything was alright – or would be, as soon as they reached the hospital. Out of all his subordinates, Fuery was the kindest and most timid, and the one he had known for the least time.

It took only few minutes before they were at the Iatria Hospital, and they all got out. Roy hesitated on waking Edward up, and finally decided not to do it; the boy would surely need his rest after the events that had occurred.

The Iatria Central Hospital was the largest and most famous hospital in Central, located only a few kilometres away from Central Command. It had been standing for many decades, and its staff was filled with professionals. The building itself cut an impressive figure amongst the nondescript buildings around it, and it had wide parking lots, which were filled despite the fact that it was night.

When they entered through the glass doors, the receptionist's eyes widened. Roy could understand the reaction; though Edward didn't seem that injured, on first glance, he certainly did not look good. Dried blood was scattered in patches on his blue shirt, and there was a wide cut on Edward's cheek. His sleep could almost be mistaken for unconsciousness.

"Oh my-"

Roy didn't let her finish, instead finding a doctor for Edward. He was informed he had to go to the Emergency Ward, due to both Edward's condition and the fact a prior appointment hadn't been set up. She had named a doctor for him, promising to call the doctor and inform her that they were coming.

Roy moved fast through the crowd, Fuery by his side, and with the help of a few hospital personnel, found the room of the doctor the receptionist had told him about. To assure himself that it was the right place, Roy checked the name on the door and the name tag of the lady in front of them. Yes, it was the right place.

She suppressed a small gasp on seeing Edward, and turned to them, seriousness etched on her face. "I will call you once I have assessed his injuries, sirs. Please wait outside."

Roy sat on one of the chairs provided for visitors and waited, telling Fuery that he could leave if he wanted. Fuery however had opted to stay, going out of the crowded place to send a transmission to the military.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Fuery?" He asked, looking up at his subordinate.

"Nashorn sent a transmission to inform that the kidnappers are now in military custody and that all of them are back at headquarters. Lieutenant Hawkeye and Major Hughes wanted to know where we were. They said they would be coming in a few minutes."

He nodded, turning his gaze at the door and wishing the doctor would just come and tell whatever she had to tell already. Waiting was never fun for him. But he couldn't just storm up and demand for anything, could he?

* * *

Maes was sitting next to him, blood slightly marring his uniform. Riza unfortunately had to deal with the deluge of paperwork in the office, which would only get done if she put her mind to it. Maes had suggested that Fuery also go and help, because without Roy, the paperwork would only increase. Fuery had asked them to promise to call if anything came up, however, and they had agreed.

"The Lieutenant Colonel is pleased with our work," Maes started with small talk, not liking the silence that was dragging on. It would have been easier for him to talk about his wife and daughter, and his hand itched to retrieve his photo album. He had actually tried once, but Roy's murderous glare had stopped him cold.

"As soon as Edward wakes up though, we'll have to interrogate him. I'll try to get myself selected, and I believe Freccia will be sent with me to record our conversation."

"Hmm?" Roy asked, sounding interested. "Interrogated?"

"You know: running away, being kidnapped. His decision on what to do matters a lot, and we, as the Investigation department, will have to find why he did what he did. It's rare we do missing cases for children, it's mostly the work of police. But we have done it," Maes said. "When? Why? How was his life before and after running away? What happened on the day of the Elrics' deaths? Was he kidnapped for a reason? Lots of questions to be answered, and then the whole case has to be cancelled from the National Crime Information section."

Roy grimaced. "That sounds like a damn lot of work."

The two had lost track of what was happening around them, and hadn't noticed the nurse that had entered the room.

"Far more than that, Roy-boy." Hughes shook his head. "The case is cancelled manually, so one of us will have to find the file and then put in the section of completed cases. That means first doing it in the office, then running all over the Central Archives."

"You've ever done it? Sounds like you have."

"Once. That was seriously enough for me. We draw lots – Cromwell's exempt because he's our head – and the unlucky one goes. I wish we had an easier system for cases, and I pity everybody who had to go there more than twice for this."

The door opened and the doctor peered out. Catching sight of them, she beckoned them inside. They stood up, walking to the door, and Roy wondered what she had to tell them.

* * *

Inside, the room was pristine clean. It was pure-white, in such a way that Roy believed staying there for more than a day should drive anyone insane. Edward was sleeping on a bed, looking small as if he were drowned in the hospital bed. A nurse was standing by his side.

"What _happened_ to the child?" The doctor asked with incredulity in her voice.

"Please, the report, doctor," Maes said.

"Thankfully, it's not as bad as it looks, but that's all there is to be thankful about! He has cuts all over his upper body, and though most are shallow, some are lacerations. Along with that, he has bruised ribs and it seems like he had a concussion that we don't know was treated or not. He's also cold, far more than he should be even in February." She ended the recital, and looked between the both of them, waiting for answers.

"No child is simply going to be that way by falling in the park. He was deliberately injured."

"He was kidnapped," Maes said. The woman's eyes widened in understanding.

"He'll be feeling quite some pain once he wakes up," she said, sitting down and motioning for them to do the same.

"What are our choices now? Leaving him to rest and recover?" Roy asked, placing his left arm horizontally on the table. The good doctor seemed to miss his tone of sarcasm at his second sentence.

"No, of course not!" She looked affronted at the suggestion. "Honestly, I expect better from military officers," she mumbled under her breath before speaking aloud. "We have rinsed the wounds and cleaned them with disinfected clothes, but we'll have to do far more. I decided to inform the two of you before going ahead with the treatment. Are you family by any chance?" She was looking at Roy.

"No," he answered, not elaborating.

She continued. "He will have to be admitted as an inpatient for some days at least. Would you prefer to have biological manipulation performed on him? It's far easier than going through the whole healing process, but it's more expensive as well."

Roy answered in a heartbeat. "Yes."

"The constant exhaustion of having it performed on his wounds may cause him to mostly sleep for at least three days," she added. "It has to be performed in intervals so as to not tax a recovering body. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am," he repeated.

"Are you going to leave now? The procedure will be performed once we are sure the child is safe from infection. Talking about that, please fill this form." The doctor took a form from her desk and gave it to Roy, also handing him a pen as he scanned it. In few minutes, Roy filled the papers, pen held hesitantly above some entries.

"Do you not know what to fill there?"

Roy shared a glance with Maes. "I have no idea whether he has a middle name or not, and I believe his birthday is in early May, but I am not sure. And… I don't think he has either a guardian or a parent at this moment. It's a special case." Edward had told Roy his birthday once, but the exact date slipped Roy's mind.

"May I contact the military in order to gain the necessary details?" She asked, taking the form and looking over what Roy had written.

The two of them nodded, and she called to the military's help desk.

"They allowed one of you to sign. His middle name is Van, and his birthday is on 7th May," she said.

Roy took the pen and signed, adding the given information.

"Will you be staying?"

"Roy, we can't go off work for any longer unless we take official permit." Maes then lowered his voice, so that Roy was only barely able to hear him. "It will look suspicious if you stay here any longer. Remember what I told Lieutenant Colonel Cromwell, and what we are planning to tell anybody who asks."

Roy understood the risks. Hiding a missing child, not informing anybody and not handing over Edward even when the case was filed for him would make Roy look criminally guilty. And trying to solve it would probably lead to a tangled web of problems.

"Please call me if there are any changes in his condition."

"Of course. The number given is your personal line, yes?" With Roy's nod, she continued. "Before you leave however, I may have to brief one of you on the process of biological manipulation. It's a standard for all doctors to explain it before it is implemented."

The phone at the doctor's table rang, and she picked it up, murmuring "Excuse me" before speaking to whoever was on the phone. She turned towards Roy after a few words.

"You are Roy Mustang, yes? There's a person calling for you. You can take the call by going to the reception. They will provide a private place to answer."

"Maes, you stay here and listen to the doctor's briefing. I'll go." With Maes' agreement, Roy left, taking brisk steps. Though he was confused a bit on the exact directions, again the polite staff gave him directions, and he found himself in front of the reception.

"Enter here, please." The lady receptionist from before gestured at a door, and he entered. "We have redirected the call to this phone." She then exited.

Roy picked it up, waiting as the static cleared and a voice came through. At the first words spoken, his eyes widened.

 _Damn it._

* * *

 **A/N: And I try to end with a cliffhanger. Who do you think is the person who called Roy? Just asking; I'd love to know the guesses…**

 **Misc. Info: It is unknown how the first supernaturals came to being, though the Ishvallan myths imply that the first vampire came to being through the bite of a bat under the Hunter's Moon. Having been bit to death, the human resurrected as the first vampire. Werewolves are quite similar; a man fought with a wolf under the Hunter's Moon, and on killing it and getting its blood all over him (and having swallowed a drop of it), he transformed under the moon into a wolf.**


	15. His Increasing Contrition

**A/N: The first chapter of 2017. I hope all of you had a happy New Year!**

 **Everybody, I just wanted to tell you to reread all the chapters posted so far before reading this. I've made slight changes here and there – I don't think they're going to be very noticeable, but just read it all again. I've been trying to fine-tune all of this.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: His Increasing Contrition**

* * *

 _Damn it all._

He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected it to be _so soon_. He had honestly forgotten those words.

Roy tried not to cringe as the call ended, and he would be a fool to believe everything had been satisfactorily resolved. He stared at the phone for a few minutes, sighing, and then left the room, thanking the receptionist as he went back to the Emergency Ward.

* * *

"Thank you," Maes said, firmly shaking the hand of the doctor as he stood up from his seat. He gave a last glance to Edward, who was still sleeping deeply, and exited the room, meeting up with Roy. His best friend looked distressed.

"Roy…?" He asked, confused. "Who was it that called? The Fuhrer? Riza?" He could think of no reason for his friend to be like this.

Roy shook his head.

"Roy." There was a warning in his words.

The answer he got was definitely a surprise. "The Rockbells."

Hughes' eyes widened. "So soon?"

"They got back yesterday night – seems like days – and I had been told to call them every week, but I didn't know Mrs. Rockbell would call today!" Roy seemed more surprised than angry.

"And what did she say?" Maes asked, straight to the point as they walked out of the Emergency Ward.

"Since their call was redirected here by the military helpdesk, they know what happened. She's livid, while I heard the younger Rockbell cry," Roy sighed. "Can't believe Edward got kidnapped when he was supposed to be safe." Roy's voice was filled with self-guilt, and Maes narrowed his eyes.

"Roy-"

"Thing is… I don't even have a defense. She's _right_. He was supposed to be safe here – that was the whole reason for this damn arrangement! – but he's not. I'm not fit to be his guardian if I lose him like this." Roy was quite calmly looking ahead, but Maes could see the cracks of composure in his mask, especially when his voice rose.

Maes knew how important Edward was to Roy. In scant four months, Edward had managed to break Roy's walls and get counted as one of the few people Roy would sacrifice his life to protect. To have this happen was a huge blow, Maes wasn't going to deny it, but Roy wasn't looking at it properly.

"I wish the path to learning that hadn't caused him pain."

"Roy, you're a better guardian than most I've seen. We've gone after so many criminals who harm their own family – remember the Shadow Killer case? And the recent one you went for? People learn through all of this; nobody's born as a good guardian." Maes remembered a certain incident. "When Elicia was three weeks old, she got sick and I was running around like a headless chicken because I didn't have an idea on what to do."

"This is not getting ill. This is his whole life, his choice once he wakes up, and whatever trust I managed to build up with the Rockbells turned into ashes with this. They're not going to stand for Edward being with me. That is, if he chooses to, and the chance is looking very slim right now."

"They don't have to. It's Edward's choice, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't blame you for this."

"We still haven't talked about what I did, and he has every reason to blame me for that."

"Because you haven't explained it properly to him. Listen, Roy, before you start off like this, wait till he wakes up. Talk to him, and then you'll see," Maes said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. He had no doubt the two would manage to hash out their problems; Maes' Aura Perception helped him understand people a lot, especially in situations like this.

Realizing that Roy wasn't going to say anything more, Maes took something with his other hand and flipped it open, shoving it in front of Roy's eyes. "There's nothing like some photos of my darlings to cheer you up. It'll be exactly what you need, Roy. Look at this, won't you? Gracia looks fabulous; she dressed up for the Armstrongs' party, of course, and that doesn't mean she's not beautiful when she isn't dressed up but-"

Roy let his friend ramble on, only paying half his attention to the photos, but he had to admit Elicia did look cute. If there was one thing out of all of this, nobody would ever forget what any of the Hughes looked like.

* * *

The next day brought no news. Though Roy had called the doctor, she had only told him that Edward had woken up twice, and both times, he immediately fell back to sleep due to the strain on his body from the intense biological manipulation.

The case had evolved into far more than a missing one, and the questioning of the criminals was going on in the military cells. Amestris didn't have a police organization, instead, the military acted as it. The Investigations department worked to find the criminals in cases, and the large department also conducted the questioning. There were also other departments to police the streets and enforce the laws.

A captain on Cromwell's team was told to bring who was thought to be the leader of the group to an interrogation room, where Maes would be waiting. Interrogation was a long and difficult business, but Maes had done it for quite a lot of years, and he was skilled.

Roy had asked his best friend to promise that he would call Roy when the interrogation was done and tell him what had happened. Maes had calculated it would be over by noon, and Roy sent glances to the phone in his office while doing his paperwork. He wasn't allowed to do the questioning along with Maes' team; he wasn't a part of the Investigations department and he had his own team missions to take care of.

As Riza entered his inner office, holding a new stack of paperwork, Roy groaned and massaged his forehead. "Why so much paperwork, Lieutenant?"

"If you had been here yesterday, sir, we would have been able to finish it on time," she said calmly, used to her superior's childish behavior when it came to work. Yes, work was difficult, but that didn't mean he had to whine every time. She wondered what he would do when he became the Fuhrer, and the paperwork increased beyond the levels he was doing now. After placing the stack, she left.

Five minutes after Riza's exit, the phone rang and Roy immediately picked it up, hearing Maes' voice at the other end.

"Hello, Maes," he returned the man's greeting, twirling the cord of the phone around his index finger. "So, what did you learn from them?" He asked.

As his best friend talked about what happened at the questioning, Roy placed a hand on his forehead. _'Great, another enemy during Ishval.'_ This wasn't the first time someone had targeted him for the events at Ishval, but he wished Edward hadn't got caught up in it. He deserved all the assassination attempts and the threats, but the eleven-year-old werewolf did not.

When the call ended some time later, Roy leaned forward and bowed his head. _'One of them is half-Ishvalan, and the others lived in Womiob and protected her. The result won't be pretty, but the case against them can't be held until Ed wakes and gives his testimony.'_

He remembered the attack on Womiob well. The soldiers had first gone, and then the State Alchemists had been called to raze the town to the ground to stop Ishvalans. It only took a day to destroy the town, but considering the Crimson Lotus Alchemist and the Flame Alchemist had been there, it was no surprise.

He wondered when Edward would wake up, and if he would get a chance to apologize for his actions. But apologies wouldn't do anything to heal what he had already done.

* * *

The second day went pretty much the same. Work was aplenty, and Roy was trying to keep up with it all. He had been getting news on Edward at least twice a day, both from Maes and from the doctor, Sophia Greenberg.

" _He murmurs something when he wakes up, though it's not clear enough to understand. He's only awake for a few minutes, enough for somebody to notice, and then he goes off like a light. It's near impossible to predict when he wakes up like this, but overall he seems confused by his surroundings. And we can't explain it to him clearly before he sleeps again."_ This was part of what he had been told when he called Dr. Greenberg.

Edward had been healing well, and there were luckily no complications for the child. The doctor had confirmed that by tomorrow morning, Edward would be awake and well enough to be interrogated to completely finish the missing case.

When he went home, Roy honestly could not believe how quiet and lonely it was. The silence was deafening, and Roy felt unable to deal with it. Maes had called a few times, and he had even come over for a few hours with Gracia, but once they left, silence again descended on his flat.

All this while, he had been living pretty well alone, and it was only with Edward's appearance in his life that he got used to the noise and cursing that came with having a child under his roof. But now that child was lying in the hospital, Roy being a main factor of the events and he couldn't bear the consequences of it. Roy could only laugh at the irony.

* * *

As Roy worked early morning at the office, the phone rang. He had a good idea of who it would be as he picked it up. But the words were pleasantly unexpected.

"Edward's awake."

* * *

 **A/N: Did anybody expect the Rockbells? I know this chapter is kind of short (and probably not that well-written), but I wanted to end it at that point. And I love increasing Roy's guilt – I never expected it to write itself the way it did.**

 **Misc. Info: Though you all know Amestris has supernaturals who interact with human society, in Xing there is a divison. There's separate places for supernaturals and separate places for humans, and the two don't normally interact. Even in clans, clans are either fully human or fully supernatural.**


	16. An Interview with Edward Elric

**A/N: Damn this is late. I have only one thing as an excuse: a Phoenix Wright/My Little Pony crossover (Turnabout Storm) is fun even if you've never touched both series (and the fact I was writing a script for my activity, but the crossover was the main reason this was late). Apologies. But I hope the extra length of this chapter makes up for it.**

 **The end is near. Very, very near.**

 **Note: Most of the information I have on cases of missing children is taken from 'Investigator's Guide to Missing Child Cases' on www. ncjrs. gov (remove the spaces). NCJRS stands for 'National Criminal Justice Reference Service'. Check under the section of Voluntary Missing Cases to learn more.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: An Interview with Edward Elric**

* * *

" _Edward's awake."_

A relieved smile appeared on Roy's face, and he sighed, leaning forward.

Before he could ask, he got the answer he wanted from Maes. "Completely; not just a few minutes like before. The exhaustion of the healing wore out, and he's pretty fine. Somewhat."

But then, Roy remembered something and his eyes narrowed. "How did you get to know first, Maes? I gave my number to the doctor, and I know I told her to keep me informed about him…"

There was silence on the other end, but Roy didn't break it, knowing his friend would crack within some time. Not because Maes couldn't keep silent, but because Maes would be more likely to laugh at any assumption Roy made on this. "I told her to inform me first, because you won't be allowed to see him now."

"Why not?" He asked, but he thought he knew. Maes and he had discussed this, but he wanted to be there, if only to see Edward.

"Roy, you know why. Stop acting like a child." He could almost imagine his friend rolling his eyes. "You'll be able to see him by afternoon, I promise. Till then, leave the job to us experts."

"Which means-?"

"Yup. Vanessa and I are on the case. I'm the one doing the questioning, and Vanessa is going to be transcribing our conversation. I only had to remind Cromwell that I was the one who found the lead on Edward," Maes said.

' _It's no secret you're one of the best at your job, Maes,'_ Roy thought. He knew Maes wouldn't agree; the man was quite modest about his work, but the truth was the truth.

"But if you feel down, I'm sure some of Elicia's recent adventures will make you feel better. I mean, you had to see her when she played with that cat whose leg Gracia was mending – stray one, it got attacked by some other cat. Gracia is such a kind person, isn't she? I can't believe-"

Roy wondered whether he should laugh or groan. Even at this time, Maes could go off on such tangents… Instead, he just shook his head.

"Maes, I do hope you remember what I said about burning the phone line."

"If you did that, Hawkeye would shoot you dead," Maes said back, pausing in his ramblings.

"Just call me when it's over, Maes," Roy said, promptly disconnecting the call.

* * *

Maes walked into the hospital with Lieutenant Freccia, who was holding a pad and a pen to her chest. She had a tough job of having to write down the whole conversation accurately, and then submitting it to be added to the case before it was filed away.

He easily found the Emergency Ward, and Edward's room, without need of any directions this time. Entering with Freccia just a step behind him, he nodded to the doctor, who stood up. His eyes floated to Edward for a second – the boy was sitting upright on the hospital bed, looking at him in confusion. His clothes had been changed to the standard hospital ones, and although he mostly looked well-rested, Maes could see a hint of tiredness in his eyes.

Ed opened his mouth to say something, but Maes tried to silently convey to him not to do it, knowing that any other movement would alert Freccia to what he was doing. He quickly turned back to the doctor, and shook her hand, introducing both of them.

"We are here to interview Mr. Elric, Dr. Greenberg," Freccia said. "To that end, may we use this room?"

Sophia Greenberg got the message, and she stepped out of the room, but not before telling them to call her in case anything happened to Edward.

Maes dragged over a chair from in front of the doctor's desk next to Edward's bed, and Freccia sat down in the remaining chair at the desk, clearing space on the table to place her pad.

Maes leaned back, surveying Edward for a few seconds before starting. "Edward Van Elric, yes?"

The child's eyes glowered at his middle name, but he nodded. "Why are you _'interviewing'_ me?" He asked bluntly.

Freccia answered that. "As you have been voluntarily missing from home, it is our duty to question you, and with your cooperation, find out what happened to you in these four months."

Edward nodded, not saying anything, and Maes decided it was time to start. He motioned to Freccia to continue writing. "I am Major Maes Hughes, Mr. Elric, but you can call me Maes." That would account for every time Edward would call him by name. After all, for what almost everybody knew, Maes and Edward had never met before.

Edward clearly understood the situation. "Don't call me Mr. Elric."

Well, that was enough for him. With a polite smile, Maes asked, "You ran away from home, as per the report we have. Was it initiated by something in your home life perhaps?"

Edward answered fast with a slight tint of anger in his voice, "Of course not! Are you trying to insinuate something? My life was just perfect, thank you!"

This question was far harder though. "What exactly occurred on the day you ran away from Resembool, Edward?"

He knew the werewolf would not want to repeat the whole thing again, but it was an important part of the interview and could not simply be left undone.

As expected, Edward looked down at his clasped hands, staying silent. His problem wasn't talking about it; he just didn't want it heard by the lady he knew nothing about, and written down. It was personal, and he wasn't just going to spill it all out.

"Edward," Maes said, sounding a bit like Roy when he warned the boy.

Edward sighed, and then spoke, trying to make it as brief as possible. To watch the woman write down all of it, not asking him to pause or repeat, made him peculiarly feel as if he had committed some crime, even though he knew he was well within his rights to defend himself. It had been drilled into his mind by Roy; what he had done was not wrong, not on any level. _"Justifiable homicide exists, and what you did comes under it."_

No questions were asked on the three deaths, instead Maes tactfully asked, "What made you run away?"

"… I was afraid."

"Afraid?"

A fire lit in Edward's eyes, now burnished gold with the glow, as he asked in a voice only slightly less from being a shout. "What do you expect me to do? Sit and watch him bl-bleed all over? He died! I… just… I," Edward trailed off, losing the steam he had started with.

Maes decided to move on to the next question, rather than grilling Edward more about this. He knew all the information, already told to him by the person in question, but he couldn't say it aloud without seeming extremely suspicious. How he wished Roy was the one here with him… but this case was for Investigations, and Roy's unit had only been included for finding Edward.

"After you ran away, what happened?"

Edward looked at him like he didn't understand the question, and Maes repeated it after a minute. This and the following questions were the toughest to answer, no doubt, as Edward had to do his best not to implicate Roy in this. If it came out that Roy knew and hadn't passed on the information, there would be quite a lot of problems. It would also be difficult to explain the exact circumstances, and no one would accept the situation. What Roy did could be considered criminal.

"Well, I just ran in some direction – I don't know, okay, it wasn't like I was trying to pay attention to where I was going or some shit-" Edward ignored Maes' look for his language. "-And I ended up outside Central."

Before Maes could ask how he knew it was Central, Edward hastily added.

"Well, I thought it was Central from everything around. I don't know any city as large as this, and even though I haven't come here, I just guessed."

"And what did you do in these four months?"

"Four months… I just walked around," Edward said with a shrug, clearly not knowing what he was supposed to say to that. "I… I only… Yeah, I wandered," he ended unconvincingly.

The lieutenant seemed to be both amused and confused – more of the latter, of course – but she remained silent, doing her duty. The sound of pen scratching on paper relaxed Maes a bit; there was a kind of naturalness in that, in a sound he heard almost every day.

"For four months?" Maes asked, adding a good dose of skepticism to his voice. "And nobody questioned you? You didn't get caught up in fights?"

Edward was completely focused on his hands now, not even looking up. The werewolf had to realize how absurd the whole thing was sounding. If only they had time to plan this, then this wouldn't have been going in this direction.

But surprisingly, Edward was good at covering up. "It's not like I walked out in damn public. I just… stayed away from all those places and hid. I would have gone back home if I knew how to, and I wasn't going to ask some stranger and let them lead me."

"What about the military?"

"After…" Edward's eyes widened as the question registered. "What the hell? You're asking me to go there after having… Just…" Edward shook his head, looking very uncomfortable with everything. Maes couldn't blame him; this was a bit odd for him as well, but he could improvise well.

And now they had to come to the crux of the matter – one of the main things that were quite interesting in this case (to everyone other than those who knew about Roy and Edward).

"Why were you kidnapped?"

Another silence. Edward was now playing with his blanket, drawn over his legs, and Maes could see he was in deep thought, trying to create a proper explanation for it. None of them had discussed the exact impacts of a questioning like this, mainly because they had thought it would be possible to bypass this, but Edward knew. He was brilliant at making deductions, and the boy had probably managed to piece everything together.

"I… I'm a half-werewolf," Edward said slowly. "They didn't like the fact I was a half-werewolf… and then my Paranormal Ability showed up, and they considered me to be a disgrace to werewolves." The words rang through Edward's mind again, like the echoes of a bell being hit. He knew he wasn't a traitor, but those words matched up closely with the ones spoken to his mother, and it sparked an odd feeling through him.

Maes and Freccia had no need to ask of Edward's ability; though not clearly, they had managed to catch a glimpse of Edward bringing his hands together to release them from the iron chains. It was easy to understand why some would consider his mental-based ability to be a disgrace.

They knew what happened after that, so there was only one more question Maes needed to ask before concluding this interview. He looked at the clock in the room – the time was now ten o'clock. At least he would be able to keep his promise to Roy on being able to see Edward by noon.

"Edward," he said, unconsciously straightening up on his chair. "We now come to the last question."

Edward grimaced, knowing what it would be. It was the question posed to him five days ago.

"As you are an orphan, we cannot simply send you back home; you do not have a guardian, so you have only three choices in front of you."

Edward knew all of this; having heard the same words from Roy. He had already made his decision, already knew what he was going to say, except for one small thing…

"You can go back to Resembool, after some paperwork proclaiming your neighbors – the Rockbells, who filed the case – as your legal guardians. You can go to an orphanage here at Central, and you will be provided with free education and other benefits. Or you can choose to be adopted by someone other than the Rockbells. Your decision?"

This was the moment of choice: three paths were available for Edward to pursue, and all three had their advantages or disadvantages. Maes would honestly understand if the boy just wanted to see the Rockbells again, and he knew they would protect him as much as they could.

Edward glanced at Freccia, looking unsure about speaking. Maes sighed, the sound making the lady raise her head to look at him.

"Lieutenant, could you please go out? It seems Edward is uncomfortable with speaking…" The boy gave a nod, and Maes continued. "I will write down the last bit, except if there's anything he wants to keep private?" He ended questioningly, and Edward nodded again.

"Yes, sir," Freccia said. She stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her. Maes took the items from the desk and went back to his seat, placing the papers on his lap.

"Edward?" Maes turned his attention towards the blond.

"I know what I want, Maes, but I have a doubt."

"Yes?"

As Edward spoke, Maes' eyes widened. "You honestly can't be wanting to-"

"I want to. I figured out I'd be able to help…"

"Edward, you know-"

The child interrupted him again. "But that's why I'm asking you. If… if I won't be allowed, then I'll just find some other way. But it just struck me, and I can help! I know I can. I… I just have to make myself useful. Isn't that it? It's not like I haven't read up about this; I have, and I know what I'm doing. I can't _not_ help."

Maes let out a low whistle. He knew what would be the answer to Edward's doubt, and although he felt the same way itself, looking past his initial feelings showed it in a new light, in the light Edward was no doubt seeing it in.

"I won't be the one to tell this, Edward," Maes said. "You'll have to break this to him." He wrote the main point of his question, Edward's answer, down on the paper, leaving out what the boy had just told him. With a flourish, he closed the pen and placed it atop the pad.

"I know. I will."

"Then I'll tell him to come." Maes stood up.

"See ya, Ed!" He waved, watching a small smile appear on Edward's face as he returned it. "Once it's over, I'll be sure to show you Elicia's and Gracia's new photos. You don't know how many of them you missed in four days!" He turned around and opened the door, motioning for the doctor sitting outside to enter.

"Maes!"

* * *

 **A/N: I wanted to keep at least a little bit of suspense till the end. I believe the next chapter will be the last one, after which we'll have a small epilogue to tie things up and end this. Do any of you have any guesses on what Ed said? Not going to confirm it, but I just want to hear…**

 **Misc. Info: Both werewolves and vampires can be classfied into two types - turned and pureblood. Though pureblood werewolves are able to transform into wolves without the required stimulus (i.e. the moon), pureblood children need to get used to transforming before they can do it without stimulus.**


	17. The Choice

**A/N: So, this is the last chapter. After this, the only thing left will be an epilogue (and perhaps an omake, if I can get myself to sit down and work). I think this one got a bit poetic…**

 **Thank you all for your amazing support throughout, and I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: The Choice**

* * *

 _Wednesday, 17th February_

 _1:25 PM_

" _The questioning's done. You can go see him now, Roy – that is, if Hawkeye will let you skip doing paperwork. And remind Edward he has something to tell you, won't you?"_

At one o'clock, Maes had called him. The man hadn't revealed exactly what happened during the interview, but Roy had received constant assurances not to worry. Roy could easily tell his friend was hiding something from him, although telling that to Maes only earned him a nervous laugh and a negative. He was quite sure whatever it was had to do with what Edward had to tell Roy.

Thankfully, Riza had decided to let him go see Edward, though she had clearly warned him that she would go to extreme measures to make sure he completed his work for the day.

" _Sir, to be honest, yesterday and today, you've been lazing around and your stack of work is only growing. If you hate it that much, do something about it."_ All told to him in that polite, but nonetheless exasperated, tone that she possessed.

He had given her his promise though. It didn't matter if he had to work overtime; people were always more precious than time.

And as cliché as it sounded, he had to go see one of his precious ones.

* * *

With a polite knock at the doctor's door, he stepped back, slightly nervous. No, cut that out, he was seriously nervous.

He didn't know how Edward was going to react to seeing him; their meeting three days ago was not at the best of times, and with all the problems, they hadn't addressed the reason Edward had ran away. They hadn't addressed what Roy had done.

He had always regretted his actions at Ishval, but never had it reared its head in such a vicious way; a silhouette of the past come to haunt his present, and one of his valuable relations. Perhaps he deserved it all the same. He had never been punished, per se, for Ishval. Several assassination attempts, perhaps, and threatening messages, but they had all been thwarted in time, unworthy of mention in the ease his team managed to diffuse situations.

This situation was one of the mind, unable to be easily solved. Meeting force with force was easy for him, but when it came to such matters, he was quite helpless. Words could only get one so far.

As the door opened, he flashed a smile at the doctor, standing a bit straighter. She gave him a searching look before asking, "You're here to see Mr. Elric?"

He nodded, and was led in. His eyes immediately focused on the sleeping figure of the child he had been taking care of. The only thing visible was his golden hair, untied and splayed across the bed.

"He went to sleep not long after his interview. Of course, it's time for him to eat, so I can call the nurse and wake him up."

Roy knew from his own experiences at the hospital that the food wasn't exactly the best. The focus of the institution was on saving the lives of people, not providing excellent dishes. "No need, doctor. I'll just go buy something for him."

Was that amusement he found in the doctor's blue eyes? It somewhat rankled at him ( _what in the world did she have to smile about?),_ and if he were anywhere else, he would have pouted and said something, but this was a professional setting.

"I think the best he can handle now is some warm soup. Some small pieces of vegetables – carrots, potatoes, onions – ought to do for the nutritional part. But his body does need the vegetables, so buy something accordingly."

He nodded. It wasn't that tough to remember, and honestly, he had been planning on buying something light. The boy certainly couldn't have eaten much in the three days he was in between the world of conscious and sleep.

It took him only ten minutes to go to the nearby restaurant and buy some food for Edward. He came back with a plastic cover, holding it carefully in his hands as he entered the hospital. Though he did get some glances from the people around, nobody asked him anything.

When he got to Edward's room, he didn't have to knock. The door was left slightly open, and he carefully balanced the cover in one hand before pushing the door completely open. The doctor stood up.

"I will be outside. Call me in case Mr. Elric experiences any problems." This was the second time that day (not even a full day) that she was going out of her office, and sitting outside her own office did not make her feel like she was doing something for her patient. But he deserved to see those who cared for him, especially having not seen them in the few days he spent in the Emergency Ward.

As the door closed behind him, he placed the cover on the table beside Edward's bed, taking out the sealed bowl of soup and a spoon. Removing the aluminium foil released light steam and a delicious aroma into the room.

He turned towards Edward, shaking the child's shoulder gently. "Edward? Edward?"

The werewolf's head turned to him, and he said something under his breath, opening bleary eyes. Roy again shook him, and then paused as Edward flinched, mouth opening wordless, saying in a voice just above a whisper, "Stay back! Don't come any closer."

Roy immediately drew back his hand and just stood there, unsure of what to do.

There was a moment where he saw fear shine clearly in golden eyes, and it pierced Roy. Edward didn't say anything either as he sat up slowly, wrapping his arms around his knees, hugging them close to his chest.

The atmosphere was turning awkward, and Roy didn't know what to say after that. Perhaps he was making Edward feel that awkwardness as well… Perhaps it would be better if he came later, because right now, his mind was drawing on a blank on what to do.

He tried to sound casual as he said, "There's some soup for you, Edward. I… I'll just take my leave for now… I suppose," he mumbled the last bit under his breath and turned around, already walking away. Maybe coming now was a mistake, when Edward was still recovering.

But he couldn't help remembering the slight bit of pain that had washed through him when Edward had recoiled from him. It may not have been due to him, but it reminded him of exactly what he had done for Edward as his guardian – _nothing_. Or at least, nothing to stop him from experiencing something he shouldn't have to.

' _Perhaps if I keep a distance, it will be the best for both of us.'_

* * *

Edward bit his lower lip as Roy walked away. To an outsider, it may not have seemed very big; both of them knew it was getting awkward, and it was better to cut it off then let it continue to grow.

But this one moment was in a way, very important – beyond Roy just leaving Edward to rest, it was like the first crack that would expand and create a distance impossible to cross later on.

It wasn't like Edward could control his reaction; the first sight he saw as he woke up was a dark figure above him, and for a moment, he thought he was back with the group of kidnapping werewolves. He thought he had fallen unconscious at something they had done. But as he gained his senses, he remembered the events that had led up to him being in the hospital, and had managed to somewhat relax.

It had taken three months, but he had grown to see Roy as someone more than just a friend. The vampire treated him as an equal; something Edward greatly appreciated because the moment the _bastard_ had left them all, Ed had to grow up. Only few times did he talk to Edward like he was talking to a child. And those times had mostly happened because Ed had never been that good at taking care of himself.

Having lost his own father six years ago, growing to hate the man who had left his family so suddenly and not even _cared_ , Edward had slowly started to see Roy like a father.

It might have been highly presumptuous of him, but he felt like their relationship was like that on both ends.

And now Roy was walking away, and it all seemed so cold to the eleven-year-old.

Edward hadn't missed the look of anguish and regret on Roy's face when he had flinched. It was only there for the fraction of a second, immediately buried under a cool mask, but it had been there all the same.

The blond pushed himself to his feet, fighting against the tiredness that consumed him and refusing the urge to collapse to the ground. Since he had woken up, he hadn't gotten out of bed, and it was like his legs had forgotten how to move.

He took an uncertain step forward, then one more, and another, gradually increasing his speed to catch up with Roy.

Just as the vampire reached the door, too stuck in his thoughts to notice the soft footsteps behind him, Edward stumbled forward, wrapping his arms around Roy.

There was utter silence, as if time itself had frozen. But the moment passed in the blink of an eye, and just as quick, Roy was hugging Edward back, kneeling on the ground to be on level with the child. There was no need of words then, but Roy tentatively broke it with his.

"Edward, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," Edward said, laying his head at Roy's shoulder.

Roy may not have known, but Edward already knew some of the truth, coming from an unlikely person.

* * *

 _Sunday, 14th February_

 _5:45 PM_

 _The door was opened cautiously, and a head peeked into his room. "I can't be here. I shouldn't be here. But I need to tell you something."_

 _To Alexia, it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth it to ruin others' lives for the sake of revenge, and already knowing what her pack planned to do, she had to inform Edward that perhaps the soldiers at Ishval weren't as bad as they seemed. That perhaps they were only fighting to see another day, to see their friends and family again._

" _At Ishval-" She ignored the narrowing of the child's eyes. "-to not follow orders was either court-martial or death. And for the best of fighters, death was the sentence. Dwell on that." She didn't have time to explain. She had done what she could, and if the man deserved to be forgiven by a child, then Ishvala would give it to him._

* * *

"You shouldn't apologize. You would have died if you hadn't followed your orders. What would happen to Hawkeye, and Hughes, and your team then?" And Edward would not sacrifice one life for another, to make a choice he knew he couldn't make. That was up to whatever divine being ruled the universe, not him.

Roy wondered how Edward knew that. He had certainly never told the boy – Maes could have, but he would have told Roy had that been the case. Or was that why Maes was so nervous over the phone? No, that couldn't be.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Edward said, his voice muffled by Roy's uniform. "If I had heard you out, then none of this would have happened. It was an inconvenience, wasn't it?" He asked.

Roy frowned at that. "It wasn't an inconvenience. That's our job, and especially mine ( _'I am your guardian, after all'_ was what he didn't say aloud). Your reaction makes complete sense, considering I had just confessed to-" Roy shook his head, stopping.

Edward yawned and leaned on Roy, feeling the tiredness catch up to him. "What about we both stop the blaming?"

Roy's eyes widened as he remembered something. "I should tell you, the Rockbells called." He didn't see Edward's wince. _'Winry will kill me, and then kill me again.'_

"Do they know?" Roy only nodded at Ed's question, and the boy winced again.

Roy was hesitant at asking, but he had to know. "What was your choice, Edward?"

Edward felt shy for reasons he could not pinpoint. He lowered his head, not looking at Roy as he asked, "Would… would you… adopt me?"

Roy blinked, entirely confused. He had expected Edward to want to go back to the Rockbells; after all, he probably needed time with them after everything that had happened. Why would he want to stay?

His confusion lasted for all of three seconds before he was nearly crushing Edward, keeping his voice even despite everything he was feeling. "Do you even need to ask?"

If a few tears slipped from Edward's eyes – which did not happen, thank you very much, as he was in _complete_ control of his feelings – the two of them didn't mention it. It was certainly quick, but very deep inside, both of them felt it was only a small formality. Roy had given Edward stability when he thought he had lost everything, and Edward had managed to become the child Roy never had.

"There's nothing else you have to tell me?" Roy asked after a few minutes, remembering Maes' words. There was no reason for Maes to get so nervous over Edward's choice, and Roy could say that now that he knew what it was.

And that reminded Edward on what he and Maes had been talking about. _"You'll have to break this to him."_ He could already imagine Roy's reaction.

"Roy," he started, voice low.

"Hmm?"

"I… I want to ask you something."

"Okay," Roy calmly spoke. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

It could. By the time Edward had finished, Roy had to resist the urge to loudly vocalize his utter astonishment at the situation.

"You do understand what you're getting into?" _Be calm, Roy. Don't burst out at him._ "It is by no means easy, nor is it something you should be pursuing."

"I've read about it, and I think I know exactly what to take. Plus, I'll be with you all the time if you are that paranoid – what else do you want?" Edward asked. "You… you asked me what my ambition was some time ago. Well, this is what I want to do. I want to help you, Roy. Imagine what this could do for you! And I'd be doing something to help, and that's all I want to do!"

The child sounded incredibly stubborn, and Roy couldn't help but admit the idea had some merit to it.

"I want to be a State Paranormal."

* * *

 _Friday, 19th January,_

 _10:35 PM_

Edward signed the paper with a flourish, and leaned back on the chair with a smile on his face. He tossed a glance to the vampire by his side and casually asked, "Edward Mustang-Elric has a ring to it, doesn't it?"

Roy knew the warm sparks that he could feel weren't due to his pyrokinesis.

"Anything with Mustang has a ring to it."

"You pompous bastard." Ed rolled his eyes. "Can't even lay off praising yourself for a second."

"Now, now, Edward," Maes said, wagging a finger at him. "Imagine a world with Roy's ego in it. It would be far too small."

Unfortunately, Edward only latched onto the last word of the sentence. "Who are you calling so tiny that-!"

A gunshot warned the boy not to continue.

Roy just smiled, watching Edward and Maes pause, sending scared looks at Riza. This was his family, and it had just gained a new member.

* * *

 _The day a boy's world came crashing down,_

 _And another helped him put the pieces back together._

 _Only to realize they both had needed it,_

 _Needed family to carry them past their trials._

* * *

 **A/N: And that's done! Whew. The epilogue will explain everything not explained in this. I don't have any more miscellaneous information, unfortunately. How do you all feel about this – is there something huge you think I have to explain yet, or do you think it's pretty okay? (still can't believe I finished my first multi-chapter story)**

 **Again, thank you to everyone – the reviewers, the followers, the favoriters and the readers! Without all of you, I would have never been here!**


	18. Epilogue

**A/N: And the finale. Apologies for the delay, but I had some volunteering duty yesterday and didn't have time to write this. Most of you can probably guess what's going to happen in this, but I hope I still have some surprises left. Enough of me rambling, so read on!**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

* * *

 _Four months later…_

Friday, 15th June

11:38 AM

Roy hadn't let Edward go for the exams until he understood _exactly_ what he was signing up for and had read extensively on State Paranormals. It took four months before Roy deemed he was ready (and Edward finally lost his patience, stating now was the best time).

His written test had taken place on the twelfth of June, and frankly, everybody was stunned by the results.

Edward had burst into the office holding the envelope sent to him by the examiner committee, not opening it until he had the attention of the entire office. And then he had dramatically opened and read out the words verbatim, adding pauses and shifting tones when necessary.

The first paragraph was lots of words strung together to simply say congratulations. But when Edward came to the words "Marks: 95/100", chaos ran rampant.

The werewolf had confessed to Roy after he finished the exam that he had been unable to complete the last two questions, about Amestrian History, because he had wasted too much time elaborating on the Paranormal questions. He had also lost one mark in a question about the conflict with Aerugo, but Ed had thought he had done well overall.

This wasn't well, though. This was unbelievable.

"Hey, boss, didn't you get eighty-eight or something?" Havoc asked him, which paved the way to a round of teasing.

"You were nineteen when you got the certification, but isn't Ed only eleven or something? And weren't you the youngest Paranormal?"

"Younger than you, and he got higher marks… Think you've been completely and thoroughly beaten, huh?"

Roy had calmly borne the whole thing – mainly because he didn't have any defense. Every single word was true. But that didn't mean he was jealous of Ed; actually he was overtly proud of his son who stood in the centre of the office with a smirk on his face.

"You may have broken quite some records, Edward, but I think the most important thing will be when we can all finally congratulate you eye-to-eye." It may have been childish, but Roy stood straighter as he spoke, looking down at Edward and waiting for the impending explosion.

The boy did not disappoint.

* * *

 _Fast-forward to 20_ _th_ _June, Wednesday…_

The psychological test on Monday had gone extremely well, and everybody knew there was nothing to worry about on that. Edward was mentally stable, and had a completely sound (as well as intelligent) mind to work in the military.

And then was the practical examination, in which Roy was one of the privileged officers to watch the display. Other than Edward, there were two to three other people who had to complete their examination. Ed went second, after a display of bone manipulation by a werewolf.

The boy simply clapped his hands and placed them on the soil, only for something to carry him into the sky. The _'thing'_ slowly took shape, ending as a golem, on whose head Edward was riding.

Amidst surprised gasps that a child of eleven could perform such a feat, Edward explained what he had done. "Ferrokinesis is not only the manipulation of iron, but also extends to anything that contains it. And the ground has a lot of iron – enough to recreate the Fuhrer's mansion, if one wanted. I just took iron from deeper levels to avoid destabilizing the surface." His voice could barely be heard from the height Edward was standing at.

At seeing the display, Roy once again absently wondered how a werewolf could possess an ability exclusive to vampires. It was quite odd – Edward was the only supernatural Roy had heard of to have an ability belonging to the opposite race. But it wasn't like it mattered much; it was just an ability after all.

The werewolf broke the serious atmosphere by turning towards him and grinning. "Who's so small even an ant could crush them, now, Roy?"

* * *

Thursday, 21st June,

11:37 AM

And though all of them knew exactly what would happen after Ed's performance, waiting for the result to arrive was exciting.

Edward burst into the office, waving a certificate in his hand. The door was flung open, and it crashed into the wall before rebounding and somewhat closing, but Ed paid it no mind. Not that he had to; if the door broke, Roy would be the one to pay for it.

Hearing the violent sound was enough to alert Roy that Edward had arrived, and he exited his office to look at the preteen. Hughes walked out behind him, having come to talk about the past week of exams for Ed (and his wife and daughter, of course).

"I got the State Certificate!" The werewolf said unnecessarily (all of them could clearly see it), and then put down his arm, smiling.

Everybody in the office, including Riza, turned to Roy.

"Party's on you," Havoc said, as the others provided similar words.

"I know, I know," Roy said. "Wouldn't dream otherwise." He would have been blind not to see this coming; of course the party was on him.

With a nod, he turned to walk back into his office, waving off Hughes. "You can go back to your office; I'm sure your team is wondering where the heck you are by now. It's been half an hour, after all."

Hughes would have normally protested, but he knew Roy only said that because he wanted to privately talk to his son. While Hughes walked away, Edward followed Roy into the inner office, still smiling.

As soon as Roy sat down, Edward pushed his certificate under Roy's eyes, atop all the paperwork he had been working on.

"Also, I got my State-issued pocket watch," Edward added, taking out a round silver watch from his pocket. He twisted it around, displaying its front to Roy.

"… Edward, exactly what is that?"

"What is what?" Edward asked, turning the pocket watch to look for himself. "What?"

"I thought you were supposed to have a wolf on the front…" Roy's own pocket watch had a bat locked in a hexagram. It was military procedure to display the supernatural race of the Paranormal on their pocket watch: a wolf head for werewolves and a bat for vampires. But Edward's watch certainly was not that.

"Oh, the werepire thing?"

"The what?"

"The werepire. It's just a combination between a werewolf and a vampire." Well, that it was. On the front of Edward's watch was a wolf head with bat wings jutting from it. Roy believed it was the first time he had ever seen such a thing on any State pocket watch.

"… I don't think that's physically possible, Edward." Even if a vampire and a werewolf were to have a child, it would only be a vampire with enhanced senses. It was actually documented and used in his thesis by a scientist about a century or so ago. It completely dispelled the portrayal in fiction of a _'werepire'_ : a vampire that would transform under the moonlight and drink blood in its wolf form.

"It doesn't have to be." Edward shrugged.

"How did you even get it done?"

"I badgered the silversmiths until they would do it. It irritated them a lot – they'd already made a watch for me, you see – but then I managed to make them do it. It looks pretty cool, doesn't it?"

Roy blinked in surprise. "And the Fuhrer didn't say anything?" It was impossible that Bradley didn't know about it; the Fuhrer seemed to know about everything that went on in his country, and such an odd request (Roy preferred to call it a request, rather than what it actually was) from Ed would certainly not be missed.

"Oh, he congratulated me on upholding relationships between rivals or something. I think he said something along the lines of wanting more young people like me in the military," Ed said nonchalantly.

' _Of course he would want more young people in the military. Only more soldiers and tools for him.'_ But instead of what was on his mind, Roy decided to pursue a more pressing issue. "You do know this only makes you more of a target?" At Edward's confused look, he elaborated. "Neither werewolves nor vampires will be happy about the middle stance you took; not that they'll be very appreciative of you joining the military at such a young age," Roy took care to make his voice inaudible by the last sentence. Otherwise, Edward would only argue about him not being a child and miss Roy's point here.

"Does it matter? It's not like any of them would be happy with me otherwise, so what's a bit more trouble?"

"Did you talk to the Rockbells?"

Edward smiled nervously. "Granny wasn't exactly happy… and Winry as well, but I think they understand. Although Granny said something along the lines of hunting you down if I get into trouble, and Winry said something about her wrench…"

Roy barely stopped himself from flinching. In the past few months of visits they had from the Rockbells, he had equated the wrench to Riza's gun; both equally dangerous and to be avoided at all costs. It was an understatement that both Pinako and Winry were not satisfied with Ed's decision to be adopted, but the werewolf fought for his choice surprisingly well and managed to convince the two that this was what he wanted.

"I think you'll deliberately put yourself in trouble just to see me get hit…" Roy finally looked down at the certificate Edward had put in front of him at the start of the conversation, skimming through it quickly. "Interesting code name…"

"I think the Fuhrer also said something about me being as stubborn as steel."

Roy looked through his stack of paperwork as Edward spoke, taking out what he had been looking for. He tossed it at Edward, who reflexively caught it and started reading. Leaning back on his chair, Roy spoke.

"Welcome to the team, then. The papers you're holding; that's going to be your first mission… Fullmetal."

* * *

 **A/N: Edward's full title is actually "Fullmetal Werewolf"… I had been waiting for the opportunity to get Roy to finally say Fullmetal. It feels so good.**

 **Now about tying up some loose ends that I couldn't simply add to this chapter:-**

 _ **About the kidnappers :**_ **Except Alexia, they all got life sentences (because they hurt Edward, the kidnapping turned aggravated, and that carries a double sentence than normal kidnapping). Alexia got a reduced sentence of thirty years in jail because Ed vouched for her.**

 _ **Ed's mental ability :**_ **This actually has an explanation. Although I did draw on some FMA 2003 elements, at the core, this story follows Brotherhood. Which includes Father. Father was actually a failed attempt at creating the ultimate supernatural, and after events, Father gave Hohenheim immortality (which is a vampire ability). This vampire gene manifested in Edward as his paranormal ability (which means Edward is technically a '** _ **werepire'**_ **). If Al had survived, he would probably have a vampire ability as well.**

 **And since that's done, this is complete. I don't even know what to say… Well, hope you enjoyed this fic till the end!**


	19. Omakes

**A/N: As hinted before, here are two extra scenes (though it took me a real lot of time to write it). Hope you enjoy, despite the shortness!**

 **Note for the first one: Roy does wear gloves, even though it's mentioned like only once.**

* * *

 **Omakes**

* * *

 _#1: Questions_

* * *

"Roy?" Edward looked up from the book he was reading, idly tucking some strands of loose hair behind his ear as he looked at the vampire sitting next to him, who was engaged in his own research.

"Yes, Edward?"

"Why do you wear gloves? I've always wondered..."

Roy chuckled, putting down his book. He shrugged and removed his right glove, placing it on the table in front of them. "Give me your hand."

Though he was confused at the strange request, Edward acquiesced and Roy reached out to... shake his hand?

As soon as their hands met, Ed understood. Holding back a gasp, he took back his hand and curled it into a fist, enveloping it with his other hand.

Roy was now laughing at the look on Edward's face, putting back his glove.

"I can't believe I forgot vampires don't have natural heat!"

* * *

 _#2: Anniversary_

* * *

Edward was staring down at the photograph in his hand, torn between wishing things had gone different while thinking it had been for the best. Since he woke up that day, he was plagued with these thoughts, and looking through the picture album only made it worse.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a very familiar voice. "Edward?"

He turned around, only to see Roy standing next to him, eyeing him with concern. "What's the matter?"

Unable to put his thoughts in words, he only tilted the photo he was holding so Roy could see it clearly. Coal-black eyes widened, but Roy didn't say anything – something for which Edward was glad.

Roy was staring down at the photo of Edward with another child who had round gold eyes, the look in them quite similar to Edward's own. The two were smiling widely, arms around each other.

"... Today is his... his eleventh birthday..." Edward trailed off, eyes glazed with tears as he stared off into the distance.

"Oh, Edward…" Roy sighed, putting his hand on Edward's shoulder. He may not have known Edward's younger brother, but from all the subtle compliments he heard throughout the months, he knew Edward had thought highly of Alphonse.

 _"Hmm, I wonder what ability Al would have. He always wanted to help people... probably bio-manipulation or something."_

 _"Al and I did a lot of research together. He was always the one on the more theoretical side... and had more patience."_

 _"Al never cared much about supernatural rivalry; if anything, I think he would make friends with anybody... he had that kind of personality..."_

These statements were always made in the light of something Ed was doing, and Roy didn't think the werewolf even realised what he had said.

"I... I wish I had..." Edward shook his head, and a lone tear fell from his eyes, joined by a few more that he wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt. "Al..." he gave a low cry and focused his eyes on the ground, his bangs hiding his face.

That was all Roy needed to firmly set his decision. It was a little impulsive and on-the-spot unlike how he usually made them, but he knew it would work out well. Edward needed it.

"Wait for some time, alright?" Confused at the sudden words, Edward nodded, sitting down. Roy walked towards the phone, picking it up and dialing a number he knew by heart. The call was picked and answered within the first two rings itself.

"Hello, I am Riza Hawkeye."

"Good morning, Lieutenant." From his seat, Edward looked curiously at Roy, wondering what he was up to.

"... Colonel?" The surprise was evident. It wasn't usually that he talked to her outside of work; they had always maintained a strictly professional relationship despite rumors that said otherwise. They had too much to risk.

"I need to take a leave. I probably won't be coming for work until, hmm, two days later. It's a... family emergency."

Despite the fact that Riza was teeming with questions on the sudden break that Roy had almost never taken before, she trusted her superior. His serious tone was all that was needed to convince her it was important. "Yes, sir. I'll file the necessary paperwork at the office by today evening."

 _'Riza, even though today is a holiday, you do it...'_ Roy smiled, though he knew she couldn't see it. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I will see you day after tomorrow."

"You are welcome, sir. And you better come to the office when it's done." There was an unspoken _'call me when you come back'_ in her words.

The call was cut. Roy kept the phone down and then turned to Edward, from whose expression it was clear he understood it.

"What are you waiting for?"

* * *

They were at Resembool within around ten hours. And it was perfectly right to say Edward did not expect this at all.

First, they went to see the Rockbells, and Roy kept respectfully silent when the conversation moved to a boy he would never get to know at all. If Alphonse was anything like what Edward said, Roy knew it was a great loss for the world and an even greater loss for those who knew him.

The Rockbells had sufficiently warmed to Roy in the following months that Edward stayed with him after the adoption. They had even come to Central a few more times to give Edward some valuable things from his house like the photos he had. Though it was clear the trust they kept was a fragile one, Roy tried his best to uphold it. To make enemies out of the two was not a wise action; he still hadn't forgotten about Winry's wrench.

After a few hours, Edward stood up and Roy followed, goodbyes being exchanged all around.

They walked silently, Edward leading Roy through the unfamiliar village. Roy stopped right at the gate of the graveyard, but Edward gave him a pleading look and he stepped forward, trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt.

Both of them finally halted in front of a tombstone – Alphonse's – at the base of which were a bouquet of white lilies and orchids.

Edward dearly wished he had flowers at that moment, but instead, he plucked some long grass from the ground, entwining it in a practised manner as he kneeled down to be on level with the stone.

Roy stood a few feet back, watching solemnly. And he noticed with his keen eyes that whenever Edward opened his mouth to speak, he would only close it and shake his head.

 _'Perhaps my presence is the matter...'_ Since Edward looked like he wasn't going to admit it, Roy instead said aloud, "I'll be around here, Edward." The blond immediately turned to look at him, with what Roy expected would be a protest on his lips, and he added, "I have... business here."

Even though he really didn't. Not at all.

Edward must have seen through his lie, but he didn't say anything, instead giving a nod.

Walking away, Roy could hear the faintest tones of Edward's voice in the absolute silence. Sadness and regret carried in those whispers, and Roy knew within time, it would become better.

"Hey, Al... I'm sorry I didn't come here sooner. But a lot has happened since that day," Edward started, feeling himself slightly choke up. "Like meeting that bastard, going to Central... I guess I should start from the beginning..."

Edward sat there for a long time, making a crown of grass for his younger brother while speaking about everything that had happened so far. Even as he shed tears and his voice grew hoarse, when he walked out of the cemetery with Roy by his side, his heart felt the lightest it had since that October day.


End file.
